The Beginning of Sinnoh's Defense System
by Dolphin02
Summary: "The crime rates are on the rise in Sinnoh," Lance mused. "Yeah," Cynthia snapped, "Now help me figure out something to freaking stop it." Lance shrugged, "YOU'RE their Champion." Cynthia glared irritably at him. "Maybe start something bigger since what you have now, can't seem to cover everything." Cynthia realized he was right. It was her job. But was she going to do it alone?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is the promised prequel to TES...I'm working with LEGAL-EAGLE53** **again on this! So...shoutout to her! She's great. ;)**

 **We'll both write, but some chapters might be more dominated by one writer or the other. And we're both super busy, so we're going to take our time! Sorry if that upsets you, but we're the writers.**

 **We said we'd bring it to you, so here it is. The first chapter of the prequel. Legal only owns her OCs and made-up city. Neither of us own Pokémon.**

* * *

(The Battle Pyramid. Somewhere in between Kanto and Johto. Midair)

Two Pokemon had been in an intense match, had fallen to the floor. One Pokémon was the legendary Regice and the other was a Houndoom.

Samuel Laguerre had been the referee for the match and he knew how hard it was in a situation like this. Both Pokémon could stand up at any given time. Frontier rules were slightly different from league rules. In league battles, 15 seconds would have to transpire before the battle was declared a draw. Frontier battles added an extra 5 seconds. Samuel looked at the two trainers.

Regice's trainer was none other than Pyramid King Brandon Blair. Houndoom's trainer was a younger woman with shoulder length black hair and hunter green eyes. She stood at five foot eleven. She wore a light cyan T-shirt with a pair of faded, slate gray jeans and a pair of charcoal gray combat boots. In addition, she wore a pendant with a fossilized Psychic Gem in small shards and a black trainer belt. She also wore a pair of dark green fingerless gloves with gray borders.

Her name?

"Twenty seconds have passed. At this time, I declare this match between Pyramid King Brandon and trainer Rebekah D'Arciola from Whiterose City to be a draw!" Samuel exclaimed as he held both flags at an angle to show both Pokémon were down.

Brandon congratulated his Regice before returning it. Meanwhile, Rebekah had already been at her Houndoom's side. She stroked him.

"Hound," he weakly began. Rebekah gently gave her Houndoom a hug.

"It's okay, Zalam. You gave it your all and then some," she said as she unclipped the Premier Ball from her belt.

"You need some rest," she said as she returned her Pokémon. In the stands was another Frontier Brain and this was the Palace Maven, Spenser. She put the ball back on her belt.

"Young lady," Brandon said, arms at his sides. "That was one of the best damn battles I've had in a long time. Few people manage to get past my Regirock. Quite the track record."

Rebekah nodded. "Thank you, Pyramid King Brandon," she said politely.

Brandon laughed. "Please. You don't have to use my title."

Rebekah nodded again and looked like she was pondering something. "Since it was a draw, does that mean I have to challenge you again?"

Brandon looked up in the stands to Spenser. The look on Spenser's face read, "Do you even have to ask?"

Brandon then looked to Samuel who nodded and gave his boss a thumb's-up. Brandon fished into his pocket and pulled out his symbol.

"No," he said to her, "That was one of the best battles I've had in a while. Not many people get to even face me. I award you the Brave Symbol," he said as he placed the symbol in her hand.

She held it and looked at it. Her final symbol. "Thank you, Brandon," she said as she flashed him a grin.

Some time passed and Spenser was able to help Brandon heal his Pokémon, while Rebekah healed hers. 'I've competed in Johto and Kalos, but what's next?' she thought. She showed her prize to her Pokémon that she used in her battle: a Houndoom named Zalam, a Wobbuffet named Almarid and a Feraligatr named Tidal.

"Rebekah?" Samuel asked her. She looked up from treating Zalam.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What's your next step?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I'll figure it out. Any suggestions?"

"How about the Sinnoh region?" Brandon offered. "Have you ever been there?"

Rebekah shook her head. She had been to every main region except for Sinnoh and Unova. She had trained in the Orange Islands and visited family in the Sevii Archipelago before.

"I guess that's my next region to visit," she murmured to herself. Two days later, she left for Sinnoh.

* * *

On the flight, she thought back to each of her battles. Berdea the Xatu had defeated a Rhydon belonging to Factory Head Noland Datsura. She had a 3 on 3 against a Medicham, Hariyama and a Heracross that belonged to Arena Tycoon Greta Kogomi. Medicham had quite the struggle against Hoku the Starmie, but lost in the end. Zalam made quick work of Hariyama and the battle against Heracross and Gem the Espeon was intense, but Gem proved to be victorious.

Then there was her match against Dome Ace Tucker Heath. Her first double battle went well. It was Malik the Slowking and Logam the Metagross against his Arcanine and Swampert. Then she had a 2 on 2 with Pike Queen Lucy Tanaka. Hoku had a heated battle with her Seviper and lost against Milotic, a part of Rebekah's strategy, it had seemed. Rebekah's next choice was a Kabutops named Iwa. The look on her opponent's face was typical when she commanded Iwa to use Giga Drain.

Her battle against Palace Maven Spenser Nozawa was done inside due to inclement weather. Tidal was sent out against Venusaur and didn't use any Water-type moves to take out the fully evolved Kanto Grass starter. Spenser thought Rebekah was going for the type advantage by sending out Berdea with Flying type moves against his Shiftry. Thunder Wave and Shadow Ball were aimed against Shiftry and the Grass/Dark type couldn't land a hit because of Teleport! All it took was Foul Play followed by an Ominous Wind to defeat Shiftry.

Rebekah decided to see how long Berdea would last against Claydol. Claydol had proved the stronger foe. Malik had a crack at Claydol. A Thunder Wave for Rebekah's strategy and between Teleport, she figured out how she'd make quick work of Claydol. Quash wouldn't work, but neither trainer nor Pokémon expected the Slowking to have Scald. The Palace Maven was stunned that it had worked!

She was given the chance to research her sixth opponent due to the Salon Maiden being a newer brain. Zalam made quick work of Espeon and Alakazam, but fell to Metagross. Rebekah surprised Anabel in having a Metagross of her own! Psyshock and Metal Claw had been used before Rebekah used an OHKO move and having raised her Metagross as a Beldum, she knew that Earthquake would be super effective. Rebekah apologized for the destruction of the field, but appreciated the patience of Anabel. The Johtoan also offered to help clean up the field.

Then came Brandon. Feraligatr was sent out against Regirock not for type advantage, but for a battle of size between the two. Regirock had attacked more than once and actually would miss a few. Rebekah eventually decided to do a Dragon Claw, Superpower, Surf strategy. Rebekah returned Tidal after his loss to Registeel. She had every intention of grabbing Zalam's Poké Ball, but instead released Almarid by mistake. She forgot that Zalam's Poké Ball was in her pocket, but the Psychic type proved to be quite the opponent for Registeel. She had used Safeguard a couple of times but remembered that her Psychic-type had been acting as a therapy Pokémon for her.

Brandon had Registeel go for a Zap Cannon and Rebekah ended it with a Destiny Bond. Rebekah had guessed that Brandon would have a Regice and steeled herself before sending out Zalam's Poké Ball. Zalam had 3 moves at his disposal that would probably take down an average Ice-type with ease. She couldn't get Zalam close enough for a Fire Fang, so she went for Taunt and also had Zalam use a Fire Blast after dodging an Ice Beam. Rebekah didn't let Brandon have the chance to have Regice use Rest.

The final blows were Hyper Beam and Flame Charge. Rebekah watched Zalam take the powerful move at such a close range. The two moves seemed to explode, causing a blinding light and the result to leave both fainted Pokémon.

* * *

The next thing Rebekah knew, she had landed in Jubilife City. She flew with the help of Berdea and landed in Sunyshore City. It took her a few days, but she managed to get to Lily of the Valley Island. She had received a tip from Byron when taking a rest in Canalave: the league was in between seasons. However, that didn't deter her as she revealed to Byron that she had just beaten the Battle Frontier in Kanto recently. Frontier rules were compliant with League rules in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. Rebekah walked up to the stadium and noticed a young man that was probably around Anabel's age (if not younger) with a Beautifly.

"I'm sorry, miss," he said, not letting her get a word in. "The league is in between seasons and we aren't accepting challengers right now."

Rebekah folded her arms. "You're Aaron Adams, aren't you? You were just recently named a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four," she said. He nodded, confirming her statement. "Well, my name is Rebekah and I just competed against the Battle Frontier and won."

Aaron asked her for proof and she gladly showed him the folio she was given containing all 7 symbols. "That's incredible," he said, green eyes studying each symbol.

She nodded. "You may not know Frontier rules, but whoever the champion is probably had you memorize League rules."

At that comment, Aaron realized that the woman in front of him wasn't from Sinnoh. Everyone knew who the Sinnoh champion was. Alongside Kalos, the two champions had just been inducted themselves and were both females.

"Where are you from?" he asked, rifling a hand through his green hair.

"I'm from Whiterose City in the Johto region, but I was born to Kalos natives," she replied. Aaron scratched his head. "It's to the north of New Bark Town."

Aaron merely nodded and was trying to process everything she said and then his pupils dilated in realization of her mentioning league rules. "Frontier rules are in compliance with the league rules in here, Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. Frontier rules state that any trainer who has competed in 2 leagues is allowed to directly challenge the Elite Four of any region. The trainer has to have gotten past the top 32."

"Uh," Aaron said, not sure what to do. "Would you mind following me?" Rebekah nodded. Aaron was nervous right now. He was praying to Arceus that Bertha or Cynthia would come to his aid. Flint liked teasing him and Lucian made things challenging. "Aaron?" a feminine voice called out. "Aaron, you know we're not supposed to accept challengers at this point," she said as she crossed her arms.

Rebekah felt bad for him, but something gave the blonde in front of them a certain aura. An air of confidence as well. She knew Lance Grayson far too well and figured that the blonde was the Champion from the confident aura.

"Hold up," Rebekah spoke in Aaron's defense. "I don't know what Aaron was planning to do, but I'm legally allowed to challenge him. I'm sure you've heard of the Battle Frontier."

Gray met green. "Of course. I faced off against Tower Tycoon Palmer not too long ago," she said in a slightly cocky tone.

Rebekah smirked. "Then I take it you're familiar with Frontier rules?" she asked. Cynthia nodded. Aaron meanwhile had snuck away to the nearest computer and looked up Rebekah from her city. Behind him was a flat screen that yielded 5 results. He clicked on Rebekah's name. The first box showed her picture, hometown, trainer ID number, known Pokémon (total) and trainer accomplishments. It showed a picture of Kalos badges and the Pokémon used in the Kalos League. Rank: Top 8. The second box showed the Johto badges and the Pokémon used in the Silver League. Rank: Top 4. The third box showed 7 gold symbols from each Frontier Brain and all Pokémon used in the Frontier. One thing that caught Cynthia's eye was the cross beside the Feraligatr.

"When did you defeat the Frontier?" Aaron inquired.

Rebekah had to think. "Six weeks ago. I didn't compete in Kanto because I missed the season. So I went back home and started there. I possess 13 Pokémon and two of them are shiny. The reason there is a cross by Feraligatr is because my first Feraligatr was also shiny, but she died in one of my final battles in the Silver League. My opponent was disqualified," she said, trying to contain herself with the memory.

Cynthia felt her heart sink and Aaron was horrified. Neither of them had personally lost a Pokémon, but Bertha had. Cynthia sighed. Rebekah was correct and allowed to legally challenge the Sinnoh Elite 4, despite not having any badges.

"Perhaps I should properly introduce myself," Cynthia said. "My name is Cynthia Shirona and I'm the Sinnoh champion. I am from Celestic Town." Cynthia held out a hand.

Rebekah's attire gave off a look that she was a serious trainer. "Rebekah D'Arciola. Born in Whiterose City, Johto." She firmly shook hands with the Sinnoh champ.

"A small town girl, hm," Cynthia said. "You are free to challenge us in any order you choose. How many Pokémon do you have on hand?"

"A full team," Rebekah said as fire seemed to glow in her eyes.

"Then that means normal rules for us, right?" Aaron inquired.

Cynthia nodded and went behind the monitor that Aaron was at. She pulled up the list of the Sinnoh Elite 4 in alphabetical order by first name. Aaron was first and there were 5 Poké Balls pictured next to his name. Aaron was an Eterna City native. As Rebekah had guessed, Aaron was a Bug-type specialist.

Then, there was Bertha Hartmann, a Ground-type specialist. Bertha was originally born in Driftveil City, Unova and grew up in Jubilife City. She also had 5 Poké Balls pictured. Next was Flint Nara, a Fire-type specialist and a Sunyshore City native. 5 Poké Balls appeared. Lastly was Lucian Namikawa, a Psychic-type specialist and Canalave City native. Like his fellow Elites, Lucian had 5 Pokémon. Cynthia's picture was last and she had 6 Poke Balls.

"Would you like me to shuffle the cards or pick an opponent?" Cynthia asked.

Rebekah placed a finger on her chin in thought. 'I could sweep through Aaron's team with Zalam alone. Bertha could be a clean sweep with Tidal or Hoku. Flint… would be a challenge, but so would Lucian,' she thought.

"Well?" Aaron asked nervously.

"Beau?" Beautifly asked.

Rebekah smiled. "I'd like to go up against Aaron first and then Bertha. If I pass her," she paused, tempting to say, 'and I will,'.

"I'd like to do a coin toss, if that's okay, Madam Champion."

Cynthia raised a brow as Aaron pumped a fist up. He had his first opponent!

"It is, but please, call me Cynthia," she insisted.

Rebekah shrugged. "I call Lance 'Master Lance' from time to time," she said.

Cynthia rolled her eyes at the mention of the Dragon Master. Anything to boost his ego. "Well Aaron," Cynthia said as she locked eyes with her youngest coworker. "Lead the way to your arena."

Aaron nodded with an eager grin. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

The two walked to his arena. "I used to be the Eterna City gym leader," Aaron said, recalling Beautifly temporarily. It seemed to resemble a forest.

"That's cool," Rebekah said. She had to admit, she would use Azeria (her shiny Ninetales) or Zalam to take his team, but she didn't want to hurt his pride too much. A referee was there, so it would probably get out.

Rebekah's information had already been logged in and the screen setup was there.

The referee looked at the two. "This is a battle between Rebekah D'Arciola and Sinnoh Elite Four Bug specialist Aaron Adams. Both trainers will use 5 Pokemon each. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon. Clear?" he asked.

Aaron nodded and grabbed a Poké Ball. "Crystal," he said.

Rebekah waited before nodding. "Trainers, send out your Pokémon!" he called.

Aaron enlarged his Poke Ball and as Rebekah had guessed, he sent out his Beautifly. If anything, Zalam would be her last resort. She decided to go make this fun, rather than crushing him right away.

"Hoku, time to battle!" Rebekah called. Aaron knew that some trainers nicknamed their Pokémon. Beautifly's opponent was a beautiful Starmie, Aaron admitted.

A picture of Aaron and Beautifly appeared on the top screen and Rebekah and Starmie's picture on the bottom.

"Solar Beam!" Aaron commanded.

Rebekah had an experiment. "Hoku, Thunder and don't hold back!" it complied. As expected, the elements collided and Thunder seemed to be forming a beam that collided with Solar Beam. It was colorful and Rebekah noticed that Thunder was overpowering Solar Beam.

"Come on, Hoku," she called. It sent stronger electricity. Aaron kept looking back between Beautifly and the health bar. Beautifly got paralyzed halfway.

 _H-how? How is that Thunder so strong?_ Aaron thought. Aaron heard a 'thud' and looked at his starter in shock.

"Beautifly is unable to battle. Therefore, Starmie is the winner of this match!" the ref declared. Aaron went to the field and picked up Beautifly halfway.

"You were great," he said in a whisper before returning the Butterfly Pokémon. He finally stood up. "How was Thunder so strong?" he asked.

Rebekah smiled at the boy. "My Starmie has Analytic as its ability," she replied. Analytic increases the power of a move by 30% if the opponent attacks first.

Aaron nodded. "That's impressive," he said. He pulled a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it. "Let's see if your Starmie can keep up with this one. Drapion, go!"

Rebekah pulled out a light blue Pokédex and scanned Drapion. She knew Hoku wouldn't be its opponent, especially because Drapion had Battle Armor. So did Iwa. She took a breath, knowing what to do next.

"Hoku, return," she said. She revealed a Net Ball and enlarged it. "Iwa, time to battle!"

Aaron was waiting to see what Pokémon Iwa was. To his shock and sudden excitement, there was a Kabutops! Kabutops could have 1 of 3 abilities: Swift Swim, Battle Armor or Weak Armor.

"I'm impressed and this battle will be a bit longer. …or will it? Drapion, Hyper Beam!" he commanded, hoping to catch Rebekah off guard.

His Drapion complied and Rebekah shouted a command. "Ancient Power!" she said. Ancient Power materialized and absorbed the Hyper Beam, causing an explosion that sent the trainers back a little, but both planted their feet in the forest terrain.

"Not bad," Aaron said. "Cross Poison!"

 _Uh oh. Gotta get Iwa out of there, now._

"Form a Waterfall around yourself," she said the part of her defensive attack. She watched as Iwa scaled the waterfall, unseen by Aaron and Drapion.

"Come down with an Aqua Jet and go for a Brick Break!" She hoped her strategy would work.

Aaron felt nervous. It felt like he was under a waterfall himself. "Try and relax, Drapion," Aaron called. "Once you're calm, Pin Missile!"

The field became unseen by the trainers altogether. Iwa saw her target and charged her attack. With that, she struck and hit Drapion head on. She then cleared the field with a slashing motion of her own before doing a flip and heading back to her trainer. Once the water was down and being absorbed into the forest, it was clear that Drapion was out. "Drapion is unable to battle. The match goes to Kabutops!"

Aaron's next choice was Vespiquen. Iwa used a lot of energy, but didn't faint. Rebekah returned her Kabutops.

 _Tidal, Iwa, Hoku, Logam, Gem and Zalam,_ she thought as she scanned Vespiquen. She wanted to save Zalam for last, but she couldn't resist. She sent out her Houndoom. Aaron gave her the first attack. Rebekah had to think. Vespiquen knew Power Gem, Slash, Gust and Attack Order. An OHKO would take away the fun, but she had limited options.

"Thunder Fang," she said, sounding unsure. Aaron retaliated with Power Gem. Zalam was down, but far from out. Vespiquen hadn't been hit. Before Aaron could reply, Rebekah acted.

"Fire Blast," she said calmly.

"Gust!" he hollered, trying to deflect the attack. It failed and Fire Blast knocked Vespiquen to a quarter with a burn. Houndoom barked proudly.

"Fire Blast, again!" Rebekah replied. That did it. Aaron's Vespiquen was knocked out by Rebekah's Houndoom. Aaron's last choice was a Dustox. Rebekah returned Houndoom and sent out Starmie. This time, Aaron had Dustox use Double Team and Toxic. As Toxic was being aimed at the dual type, Rebekah had Hoku start spinning and used Grass Knot to absorb the Toxic. As much as Aaron hated to admit it at the moment, that was an effective strategy. Ordinarily, Dustox would be normally damaged by a Steel-type move.

Psyshock lowered Dustox's health to the halfway point and Rebekah commanded a Gyro Ball. Dustox slammed to the ground in defeat and Starmie skillfully used Hydro Pump to lower itself back in front of its trainer. The battle was over.

"All of Aaron's Pokémon are unable to battle. This means that the match goes to trainer Rebekah from Johto," the referee declared.

Aaron thanked Dustox before returning the poison moth. Rebekah knelt by Hoku and beamed. "Way to go, Hoku. Get some rest and return," she said.

"I did terrible," Aaron said as he knelt in defeat. Rebekah didn't like his negative attitude and frowned disapprovingly.

"Aaron, you did amazing," she praised.

"She's right," Cynthia's voice said from somewhere. Turns out that the Sinnoh Elite 4 had technological advances and there were various things. However, Cynthia was actually in the room. Rebekah turned and noticed the woman's shield of sorts drop.

 _A Lucario,_ Rebekah thought. Rebekah carefully cleared her mind and the temperature in the room dropped a degree or two.

Rebekah had psychic lineage and she noticed that Cynthia's mind was focused on the crime reports in the Sinnoh region. Rebekah quickly exited Cynthia's mind without the Champion knowing.

"Aaron, you just got put against a challenger who had a well-equipped team," Cynthia replied to Aaron, who was now looking at the blonde with hope in his eyes. The trio exited Aaron's arena and the competitors got their Pokémon healed.

Rebekah offered a hand to Aaron. "I've battled almost every Bug-type specialist, with one exception. My battle with Viola was exciting, but short, as we had a two-on-two. Back when I battled Bugsy, I swept his team with Zalam when he was just a Houndour pup," she began. Cynthia saw where she was going with this, but let the raven-haired girl continue.

"I've only seen Dustox and Beautifly because I've been to Hoenn before. I didn't think I'd get past your Drapion," she confessed.

Aaron smiled a little at that. "Heh," he said, putting one hand behind his head and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Drapion is my ace."

The two shook hands.

"Bertha's arena is a long walk," Cynthia told the Johtoan. Rebekah nodded in thanks before leaving the two.

* * *

The champion wasn't exaggerating when she said it was a long walk. Rebekah always carried a bottle of water on her and she tried stayed hydrated. She opened the door to Bertha's arena. It reminded her of Anabel's field in its plain look. However, there were patches of sand. She had no clue what Bertha looked like. "Hello?" she called. A referee appeared and out of another door, a woman that was old enough to be her grandmother came out. She had gray hair and brown eyes and a confident smile on her face.

"You must be Rebekah. Cynthia was just telling us about you," Bertha said. Rebekah figured that she meant the other Elites as well. Rebekah had faced a young man named Grant in Kalos for her Cliff Badge, but she had no experience against Ground-type trainers. This would be fun. She could only hope that she wouldn't win on type advantage alone. Luckily for her, the first Pokémon sent out was a Golem. The same situation happened, only with Bertha and Golem on the top with Rebekah and Metagross on the bottom.

With her Pokédex, Rebekah learned that Bertha's Golem had Rock Head for an ability and her moves were Earthquake, Gyro Ball, Brick Break and Sandstorm. Her sister's Aggron had the ability, which was why Rebekah opted for Logam, who also had Earthquake. Bertha commanded a Sandstorm and Rebekah countered by sending Logam into the storm with a Pursuit. Golem's health wasn't in the red yet, but Rebekah took advantage of the sandy field by having Logam use an Earthquake. With that, Golem was defeated and Logam floated back to its trainer.

"Using the battlefield to your advantage, I see," Bertha praised as she readied her next Pokémon. A Pokémon usually found in Sinnoh, but Rebekah was familiar with her next opponent and wanted to have some fun. She didn't consider the battle between Zalam and Vespiquen to be fun, but rather, using strategy.

"Tidal," Rebekah said, summoning her Feraligatr. She honestly felt a small twinge of guilt sending him out against Gliscor. Gliscor had Guillotine, Ice Fang, Fire Fang and Thunder Fang. Tidal charged at his opponent with Hydro Pump but Gliscor stayed strong until being hit head on by a Crunch attack.

Bertha took the opportunity for a Thunder Fang close range and Rebekah went for a Blizzard. Both Pokémon had now been afflicted with status conditions. Tidal was paralyzed and Gliscor was frozen. Bertha waited to see what would happen and was stunned to see a Dragon Claw to free the Fang Scorpion Pokémon, but Gliscor was through.

Up next was another Pokémon Rebekah was familiar with: Quagsire. She found out through her Pokédex that Quagsire had Damp and that didn't affect Tidal. She switched Pokémon and went with Iwa, who had been well rested. Quagsire kicked up a Sandstorm and Iwa used Aqua Jet followed by Giga Drain. Iwa was one of Rebekah's oldest Pokémon and had been trained to survive moves it was weak against and Quagsire fell to the ground, swirls in her eyes.

Iwa was panting and the referee called it. Rebekah was faced with a new Pokemon: Hippowdon. Her Pokédex showed her a picture with both a male and a female, to prove the gender differences. While Hippowdon had the upper hand due to Sand Stream, Rebekah had Hoku use Grass Knot to trap the Ground type and narrowly finished it with Psyshock.

Confuse Ray would be too risky, so she followed through with Thunder. Due to the Thunder surging through the knots that Hippowdon trapped, it landed the winning hit.

A Whiscash was her last Pokémon. Whiscash had Oblivious for her ability as did Malik. She kept Hoku in. Confuse Ray was used. Then a Hydro Pump that seemed to take the shape of a small body of water appeared. Dive followed by a Gyro Ball with a Grass Knot. Whiscash was down for the count and Rebekah smiled.

"A fine battle indeed," Bertha complimented. "Rest well, Whiscash."

"Thank you, ma'am," Rebekah replied before congratulating Hoku and returning it. The two left the room and saw that Cynthia was on the phone with someone.

"Look, Steven, I can handle it," she said to the person on the other line. There was a pause, which Rebekah guessed was Steven talking. Cynthia sighed and said, "Fine. Yeah, yeah, love you too, you annoying brat. Give me a week. Then you and Lance can come and check on us. Stop worrying so much, talk to your family more. I have to go. Just give me a week. Alright? Alright. Bye." Cynthia didn't notice the two until Bertha cleared her throat. A look in Bertha's eye showed that she had been bested. Cynthia would know, having battled the Ground elite months earlier. She pulled up her sleeve as the two went to the healing machine. She did the coin toss. Heads for Flint, tails meant Lucian.

"You see, there's been a lot of crime around Sinnoh," Bertha explained softly. Rebekah nodded, grimacing, as she waited to see if Lucian would catch her. Truth be told, Rebekah was one of Lance's best operatives and a strong fighter. She would keep the first part a secret for as long as she could. The second half was proving relatively obvious.

"Your next opponent is Flint," Cynthia said somewhat sickly. For some reason, Cynthia looked ill.

Bertha sighed. "You came into the stadium's front entrance, correct?" Rebekah nodded.

"To your west is Lucian. To the east is Flint. Come on, Cynthia. I'll make you some herbal tea," Bertha said without getting an argument from the Sinnoh champ.

Rebekah watched as Bertha led Cynthia away before turning and strolling off into the building. She had a fire-type trainer to beat.

* * *

"Skor!" she heard behind her. She looked down and saw a Skorupi.

 _Drapion's pre-evolution,_ she guessed.

"Skorupi, there you are!" Aaron said, trying to catch his breath. Aaron revealed that he saw the whole thing but didn't really hear anything because his mind was elsewhere.

"I think you'll like Flint," Aaron said as the two traveled east. Rebekah noticed that Skorupi was on his shoulder and as much as she wanted to ask the Bug Elite what gave him the idea, she had a strategy to plan. It had been a while since facing Malva in a battle at the chateau. Gem loved walking by her trainer, but Rebekah didn't want to reveal her Espeon right away.

The two reached a door. Aaron opened it. "After you," he said politely. The room was hot and Rebekah was thankful that she chose to wear light colors.

"Damn it!" they heard a man swear and they saw a drone like robot that reminded Rebekah of Jamero, Spenser's robot in the Battle Frontier. They watched it hit the wall.

Aaron cleared his throat. "Uh, Flint, you okay?" he asked the Sinnoh Elite who had an Infernape. Rebekah scanned his Infernape. Rebekah noticed he had red hair and gray eyes like Cynthia's eyes. Infernape reminded her of...Spark. Longtime partners, since childhood, by the looks of it.

Flint looked up in their direction as Infernape folded its arms and shook its head at its trainer's anger issues. "Oh, hey. How long have you been standing there?" he asked. "I swear you weren't there before."

"Not long," Aaron confessed with a small smile.

"Could've sworn I felt this room shake a few times. You must've battled Bertha, right?" he asked the girl his age.

Rebekah nodded and Aaron told him what had just happened. Flint sighed.

"Let's just battle and get this over with," Flint said. "Aaron, will you ref?"

Aaron didn't have much of a choice. Flint chose to recall Infernape in favor for his Houndoom. Rebekah scanned Flint's Houndoom for a moveset. Flint and his Houndoom took the top half of the screen whereas Rebekah and her Houndoom had the bottom half. Rebekah smiled and called forth her own Houndoom.

Dark Pulse. Fire Blast. Flame Charge and a Thunder Fang close range proved which Houndoom was better within about a two minute time-frame. The Pokemon continued exchanging blows.

"Not bad," he said. "I don't come across many trainers with a Houndoom, or my next teammate. Heat it up, Flareon!" he called.

Now Rebekah couldn't resist it. She was fully familiar with Flareon. Flint's had Flash Fire, just like Azeria. She knew what to do.

"Okay then," she said enlarging Gem's Fast Ball. "Say hello to another Eeveelution. Gem, come out!" she said. Her Espeon materialized and licked a paw languidly before staring across the field at Flareon. Neither Elite wanted to tell her about Lucian's Eeveelutions, and seemed to be having a stare down.

"Will-O-Wisp!" Flint hollered and Flareon complied.

Rebekah raised a brow. This was going to be entertaining, for sure. She let Espeon get hit and Espeon smirked like her trainer. Aaron quirked a brow, slightly confused, but shrugged it off.

"Gem has Synchronize," Rebekah explained to him.

Both boys thought of Lucian's Alakazam and Espeon, both of which had the ability. "Psychic!" she commanded. Flareon stood his ground, but lost a good deal of health doing so.

"Sorry, bud," Flint said as Flareon shook it off. "Giga Impact!"  
Rebekah had the following options for Gem, don't attack, use Light Screen or another attack. Rebekah was surprised at Gem's next action.

"That's Reflect," she said. She had Gem use Morning Sun because Flareon was still standing, but barely. "End it with Psychic!" It was over within the blink of an eye. As Aaron was calling the battle, Rebekah had to know something.

 _When did I teach you Reflect?_ she asked telepathically.

 _You didn't. Ryan's Meowstic did,_ Gem replied, practically purring. That was right. Rebekah sent Gem to train with Ryan for a little while.

"So you didn't know your Espeon had Reflect?" Flint asked, watching the exchange earnestly. Rebekah shook her head.

"Not until just recently, huh?" A nod. Flint called his Rapidash out. Rapidash had Solar Beam and that caused Rebekah to recall Gem and send out Tidal. Dragon Claw. Solar Beam. Bulldoze ended up overpowering Bounce and Tidal was still standing in the end.

This was the real fun. Next was Flint's Infernape. Rebekah figured Infernape was his ace or his signature. Infernape had Earthquake, so Rebekah had to make sure that that wouldn't hit. Thunder Punch was the command and Rebekah had a trick up her sleeve.

"Shroud yourself in Hydro Pump and counter it with Superpower!" Now that was strategy. Infernape wasn't out yet, but that did a number on him. Flint ordered a Flamethrower and Rebekah ended it with a Torrent-powered Surf.

Rebekah then learned that Infernape was Flint's signature Pokemon. "I still have my ace. Magmortar!" he called, tossing the ball. Magmortar was taller than others and stood seven inches shorter than Feraligatr. While a Torrent-powered Hydro Pump just nicked Magmortar, a Solar Beam took the Johto starter out.

"It was a matter of pride. That's why I kept Tidal in. Now, Hoku it's your turn!" she called. She wasn't going to give up on her partner any time soon.

"A Starmie," Flint analyzed, also noting its shininess. "You do know Psychic attacks won't work, right?"

"We'll see," was all Rebekah said before commanding a Psyshock, knocking Magmortar to three quarters of its health. Flint retaliated with Thunderbolt and Rebekah opted for Thunder Ball. It was a Thunder-infused Gyro Ball. Magmortar was resistant to Steel moves but damaged normally by Electric moves. There was enough power to knock Magmortar into the red. Rebekah dealt the final blow with a Confuse Ray. Magmortar hurt himself in confusion, fainting as a result. Flint stuck his hands in his pockets as Rebekah lifted Starmie, taking both males off guard. "Great job, Hoku," she praised.

"Hoo," Hoku replied in thanks. Starmie weighed 176 pounds and Rebekah lifted it like it was nothing. The three made their way out to the lobby after Rebekah recalled her Starmie.

* * *

"Cynthia's still not back yet with Bertha?" Aaron asked, worried as the trio came upon the empty lobby. At Rebekah's pace, she would likely be facing the champion. That is, if she manages to get past Lucian's aces: Alakazam and Gallade.

"You should probably check on them," Flint said. Aaron nodded and went to the medical bay, which was branched near Lucian's arena. Rebekah had faced Olympia and that was nerve-racking. Olympia wasn't even an Elite 4 member, but she sure was a challenging opponent!

"Lead the way," she said to Flint as she had to think of a strategy.

Lucian had been meditating and sensed two presences. He nodded to his signature who gladly lit up the room with Gyro Ball. Rebekah put a shield up on instinct.

"So you're a psychic," Lucian calmly stated, as if this was an everyday occurrence. Bronzong stopped as Rebekah nodded in response. Flint told Lucian that Cynthia was unwell and sat in the stands with Infernape, Houndoom and Flareon out. Lucian's referee was ready.

Lucian's referee was different than Aaron's. "Battle, begin," he declared.

Lucian's first choice was a Mr. Mime and Rebekah sent out Iwa. Psychic was met with a Night Slash. Both Pokémon had half health. "Downward Water Smack!" Rebekah commanded. Waterfall with a Smack Down going through it. That and the power of Mr. Mime's Thunderbolt clashed midfield, causing both trainers to steel themselves. Mr. Mime fainted as a result and Iwa stood with her scythe-like arms crossed. Gem bested Lucian's Espeon before falling to his Bronzong.

"Thanks for your hard work, Gem. Return for now," she said. "Time for some action. Zalam, let's go!" Lucian smirked and Flint's Houndoom barked from the stands.

Lucian gave her the first move. "Fire Blast!" she said.

"Take it," Lucian commanded. Rebekah gritted her teeth when Bronzong was revealed to still be standing… er, floating. Seems she had a real match with Lucian. Without warning, Lucian had Bronzong charge a Flash Cannon. Rebekah had to act fast.

"Houndoom, pyramid run into the Flash Cannon," she said. 'Then wait for my command as you get there,' she said telepathically. Two could play at that game. Houndoom ran in a way that looked like it was using Quick Attack or Agility, but neither were moves that Houndoom could learn.

"Flame Charge, tout de suite!" **_(Translation: tout de suite = now, immediately, etc.)_**

Rebekah knew the native language of Kalos. Flame Charge overpowered the Steel-type move and Bronzong was done. Out came Lucian's Alakazam. Lucian's command was a Focus Blast. Houndoom dodged and Rebekah switched out to Tidal, who quickly froze Alakazam. Like Bertha's Gliscor, Alakazam was freed from the ice chamber by a Dragon Claw. Unlike Bertha's Gliscor, Alakazam was still standing, but barely. A close range Crunch could kill it, but Rebekah took that risk. Alakazam collapsed and Rebekah was worried.

"Ala," Alakazam said before swirls appeared in his eyes. She then saw Alakazam's chest rise and fall. She breathed a sigh of relief before making a mental note about taking risks like that.

A red beam had Alakazam off the ground in mere seconds. "Let's see how you match up against Gallade!" he said, tossing his last Ball.

Gallade appeared in a fighting stance. "I must commend you, Rebekah. Very few have bested my Bronzong. Gallade, Drain, huh?" Lucian began before Gallade and Feraligatr exchanged various blows. Finally, the two Pokémon remembered that their trainers were involved. Gallade bested Feraligatr with a well-executed Leaf Blade. She recalled her partner and sent out Hoku, who seemed to be following a pattern.

"Give Gallade your strongest Thunder and then follow through with Confuse Ray!" It was game set match from there. Thunder paralyzed Gallade enough to keep him from moving and Confuse Ray made him attack himself in confusion. Lucian tried to get Gallade to snap out of it, but it was no match for the Gyro Ball. Lucian recalled his partner. The match had been the longest of Rebekah's so far: fifteen minutes.

* * *

They met Aaron and Bertha in the lobby. "Cynthia has a terrible stomachache and a headache. I fear it's her time," Bertha said.

Aaron added, "I think she might be on her period." The three others sweat-dropped. Aaron stared at them innocently.

"What?" he asked. Rebekah thought she'd confess to them first before apologizing to Cynthia. So she got their attention after she and Lucian healed their teams.

"I find that hard to believe," Aaron said. She had just revealed that she was Lance's top agent. Lucian offered to phone a friend of his in Johto and Rebekah knew it was Will. Speaking of the Psychic specialist…

"Johto G-Men HQ, this is Will, how may I help you?" Will said on the monitor. It was connected to the phone through video mode and Will decided to turn his on. "Ah, Lucian. What can I do for you?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"We've got someone who just challenged the league claiming she's Lance's top agent. Can I speak to him?" Lucian asked.

Will chuckled. "You just missed Lance. He had family business to attend to, but I can tell you that the person you're probably talking about is Rebekah D'Arciola," he said casually. "If it's not...well, then they're lying."

The boys were stunned whereas Bertha wasn't. "Hey, Will," she said, standing up.

Will smirked. "I think I'll tell Lance that you're one step ahead of him, again," he replied.

Rebekah had made her way to the counter and placed her hands on the surface. "Will," she said calmly, "what in Mew's name are you talking about?"

A feminine laugh was heard in the background and it was none other than Karen, Johto's Dark-type specialist. "What's going on?" she asked Will. She saw Rebekah. "Finished the Frontier already?"

Rebekah pulled out her folio and showed her with a wide smile. "So that bet Lance had with me? Yeah, he owes me."

"Anyway," Will replied. "Lance was going to send his top three agents to Sinnoh to help out due to the local crime. When he gets back, we'll ask him if he wants either of us to join you."

Rebekah nodded, putting her folio away. Will and Karen were her teammates, after all. "Actually, can you have him call me instead?" she asked.

"Sure," Karen answered for him. It was at that moment that Rebekah noticed that Karen wasn't in her typical attire, but rather a black dress with a purple line towards the bottom. "Now if you'll excuse us, Will and I have a date." Rebekah nodded and gave them a two-fingered salute with a smirk.

Flint shook his head. "That's something," he replied as the screen went blank.

Bertha cleared her throat. "Cynthia has two hours before the match must go on," she explained. Rebekah nodded. "I saw some stores when I was coming here and I think I'm going to get some new clothes and probably contact my family," she said as she grabbed her bag and placed her remaining PokéBalls on her belt. She began to walk out, but remembered something. "Oh and if you don't mind," she said, turning her head slightly, "I'd like to tell Cynthia myself about … you know what."

The Elites nodded and watched Rebekah depart.

* * *

(15 minutes later at a shop near the harbor)

Rebekah was getting new combat boots first and she had her eyes on a navy blue pair with white laces, so she bought them after finding her size. She then grabbed a few things off of shelves and racks before heading into a dressing room. T-shirts, jackets, tank tops and pairs of pants. She finally settled on a pair of black pants with red on different parts of the leg on each side. On the top, she had a light blue T-shirt with an off-white portion at the bottom. She also ended up with a black lightweight hoodie that had a silver zipper. She paid for the items before heading to change and she had already washed her old clothes.

Rebekah decided to place a call to Johto at the nearest video phone booth. The first number yielded a recording. The second number rang three times before a small child with dark brown hair and brown eyes answered the phone. "Hew-," he began before his eyes widened, realizing who it was. He let out an ear-piercing squeal of excitement. "Aun- Bekah!" he shrieked.

Rebekah chuckled. "Hi there, Sven. Is your mommy busy?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I wants to talk to you fiwst," he said. She smiled. "War awe you?" he asked.

"I'm in a region called Sinnoh. It's very far from home," she explained with a smile.

Before her toddler nephew could ask her any more questions, a new voice was heard.

"Sven, who are you on the phone with and can you keep it down? You woke your baby sister," whoever it was, lightly scolded. Rebekah heard crying in the background and winced slightly. Her niece was awake.

Rebekah smiled at her brother-in-law. "Hey Nigel," she said. Sven looked so much like his father.

"Can I talk to Em?" she asked.

Nigel rifled a hand through his hair. "Hang on a minute," he said, walking backwards off the screen.

Sven stared wide-eyed at his aunt. "Awe you bahtling?" he squeaked with wide eyes.

"Not at the moment," Rebekah replied.

"Sven, who's on the phone?" a feminine voice which sounded like a slightly older Rebekah, asked.

"It's fow you, mama," he said, handing her the phone before taking off.

Rebekah snickered at his behavior. "What? No answer from Daniel?" Emma asked tersely.

She shook her head. "Voicemail. I thought I'd call you before I called Ryan," she replied.

"Emma, I'm in Sinnoh," she said to her sister before debriefing her.

Emma nodded. "Mom, dad and grandpa would be proud of you," she said to her sister softly. Rebekah bit her lip, feeling a wave of emotions. "Yeah, I know."

Emma's next words caught Rebekah off guard, "So would Ira, Amber and Darian."

Rebekah let out a low growl, eyes narrowing.

"Stop it," she warned her sister. Darian was her twin brother and Ira and Amber were also twins and came a year after Darian and Rebekah. "Anyway, I don't know how long I'll be in Sinnoh for my work," she continued.

"Do you need to send anything?" Emma asked.

Rebekah nodded. Five minutes later, Rebekah found a small Pokémon Center that only had a healing machine, one or two cots and an item transporter. Rebekah was sending her clothes to her sister. In turn, she would be receiving her laptop, its case and a pair of what appeared to be gauntlets, but were bracers instead.

G-Men agents were allowed to use weapons of their choice from swords to guns, to rifles and wristblades. The blade-holders were black and Rebekah concealed them before going to a store. Rebekah's grandparents had been caught in a war and the blades belonged to her grandmother. The bracers were dark gray and without her jacket, would gain attention.

She went to the accessories store and decided not to buy fingerless gloves, but rather: a new trainer belt that was reddish orange, a new Pokégear that was blue and white, a light blue bandana and a new backpack that was a dark purple. She packed the bandana.

* * *

She returned to the stadium. _My mission is to help madam Champion establish a base of her own,_ ' she thought before casually entering. There was a big, digital clock counting down the time and only Aaron and Lucian were there. "What do you guys think?" she asked them.

They both shrugged, but Aaron ended up speaking. "Now you look like a top agent," he replied.

She took a seat on the couch and opened her bag containing her laptop, medical kit and a second outfit that she bought as a change of clothes. She was prepared for anything, it seemed. At the fifteen minute mark, Cynthia emerged, looking better. She noticed Rebekah's new attire.

"Someone looks like a hardcore trainer," Cynthia said.

Rebekah nodded. "Are you okay?" she asked. Cynthia nodded.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to battle Rebekah alone," the blonde champion said as Flint came out.

"Who's going to referee?" the redhead asked.

That was a good question. "Can we please watch you battle someone else? We haven't seen you in battle since you battled against us," Lucian asked.

Cynthia would've immediately approved, but remembered her opponent. "I'm okay with it, but are you?" she asked.

Rebekah nodded. "Let's go," she said. She was very tempted to roll up her sleeves, but Aaron didn't see the bulge at her wrists, so she guessed that no one else did, either.

* * *

The two made their way to a large arena. Bertha decided to ref and Lucian sent his Espeon out, Flint his Houndoom and Aaron his Skorupi. "This is a full 6-on-6 battle between champion Cynthia Shirona and challenger Rebekah D'Arciola. Only the challenger can switch Pokemon. There is no time limit and the winner will be declared when all 6 of one side's Pokemon faint. Am I understood?"

Cynthia turned to Bertha (who she saw as a second grandmother), and replied, "Yes."

Rebekah looked at the other Elites, then Cynthia, then Bertha. "Yes, ma'am."

Bertha had the match start. Cynthia sent out her first choice: a pink slug-like Pokemon. Rebekah scanned it with her Pokédex and learned it was a West Sea Gastrodon. She also learned what Sticky Hold did and it didn't affect her. Gastrodon had the same type combination as Whiscash and Quagsire. The decision was Iwa or Hoku. "Iwa, let's go!" she called and her Kabutops materialized.

Cynthia nodded. "Very few people possess Fossil Pokémon. You get the first attack," she said. Rebekah went with Aqua Jet and Cynthia (oddly) countered with Stone Edge. A few stones hit Iwa, but weren't effective. Waterfall followed by a Night Slash led to the fainted Gastrodon. Cynthia summoned a Glaceon. Snow Cloak was her opponent's ability. Rebekah recalled Iwa and went with Zalam. "Ice Beam!" Cynthia commanded.

"Flame Charge followed by a Fire Fang!" Rebekah countered. Glaceon got burnt and reduced to three quarters of her health. Rebekah recalled Houndoom and sent Kabutops back out. Cynthia called for a Shadow Ball, but didn't expect Rebekah's next move. "Aqua Jet straight towards it and then go with a Brick Break!" she said. While using Aqua Jet, Iwa sliced the Shadow Ball and charged for the next attack. The Brick Break hit Glaceon hard enough to knock it out.

Cynthia recalled Glaceon and sent out the Lucario from before. Iwa was recalled and once again, swapped with Zalam. "Aura Sphere!" Cynthia commanded. Rebekah resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Jump up and go for a Fire Blast!" Rebekah easily countered. Similar to Iwa, Houndoom sliced the Aura Sphere before aiming a Fire Blast and Flint knew why.

"I get it," he said calmly and impressed. "She was going for a direct hit and she nailed it." Lucario was at half health. Aaron was amazed at how high Houndoom had jumped: about 5'5" into the air, if he had to guess.

"Dragon Pulse," Cynthia said.

Rebekah smirked. "Jump the pyramid and go for a Thunder Fang," she countered. Zalam once again ran in a pyramid formation, jumping to dodge some of the Dragon Pulse's energy, which was relatively easy, considering that the Dark Pokemon had just demonstrated how high he could jump. Thunder Fang paralyzed Lucario and Rebekah gave a two-word command: "Finish it." Not a move, just an order. Houndoom barked before using a Fire Blast at a point-blank range. Lucario was down for the count.

"Lucario is unable to battle and Houndoom is the victor," Bertha declared. Cynthia was very impressed. "At this point, a brief intermission can occur or the trainers can keep going."

Cynthia called for the intermission and it would last for 5 minutes. Rebekah was analyzing her Pokémon's moves through her Pokédex as well as their stats. Though she knew these like the back of her hand, it was a strategy for her.

* * *

After the five minutes, both women were on their respective sides of the field. "I haven't had this much adrenaline since battling Palmer. I can see how you've gotten this far." Rebekah only nodded. Cynthia smirked. "Let's see how you deal with Roserade!" she said, sending out the Bouquet Pokémon. Rebekah threw her Fast Ball after scanning it. "Energy Ball!" Cynthia called.

"Future Sight," Rebekah said with a slightly ominous tone.

"Sludge Bomb!" Cynthia countered. Sludge Bomb was Cynthia's first effective hit. As the move poisoned Gem, a blast came down from the sky and it was Future Sight. Future Sight hit Roserade spot on, causing the dual-type to fall to the ground. Roserade tried to get up, but failed. Cynthia praised Roserade as Rebekah did the same with Espeon.

"Are you okay, Gem?" Rebekah asked Espeon. Espeon purred, but winced. When Rebekah saw her opponent, she recalled Gem and almost sent out Iwa, but decided that Iwa had battled enough. "Hoku, show time!" she said.

"Milotic, Ice Beam," Cynthia commanded.

Hoku looked at its trainer. "Spin and destroy the shards with Thunder!" she called. Thunder hit Milotic and a few shards made their way to Starmie, but did minimal damage. This felt like her battle with Lucy all over again.

"Dragon Pulse," Cynthia called.

"Gyro Ball!" Rebekah countered, gritting her teeth. Milotic's Dragon Pulse was stronger than Lucario's. Hoku had suffered a great deal of damage.

"Dragon Tail," Cynthia called.

Rebekah felt a strong surge. 'I'm sorry I failed you, Rebekah,' Hoku's voice rang in her head.

'No, Hoku. I made the mistake. I'll try to get you stronger so you can battle against a Milotic in the future if you need to,' Rebekah replied as Hoku was hit, fainting as a result. Cynthia had mixed emotions at the moment: she just knocked out one of her opponent's Pokémon. However, she had 2 Pokémon left and her opponent also had two that were yet to be revealed.

"Return, Hoku," Rebekah said, as if nothing had happened. Lucian could feel their psychic exchange, but said nothing. Rebekah grabbed her Fast Ball. Gem's poison was still evident and Rebekah mentally smacked herself. "Heal Bell," she said.

Cynthia decided to attack while she had the chance. "Hydro Pump," the blonde said.

The raven-haired woman smirked. "Meet it with Double-Edge."

The two Pokemon collided, resulting in an explosion. The moves had dealt their damage and Milotic could only probably take one or two more hits. "Rest," Cynthia commanded as Espeon winced from recoil. Rebekah knew that having the Psychic-type use Heal Bell would be stupid. "Don't give it a chance. Psychic!" Rebekah replied.

Milotic slowly rested and the attack hit. Espeon was panting and both hit the ground, fainting as a result. Both were recalled by their trainers.

"Garchomp/Logam," the two simultaneously called. Only Bertha had battled against the Hoenn pseudo-legendary.

While Rebekah was scanning Garchomp with her Pokédex, Cynthia was having a flashback to her recent battle with Steven. She had emerged victorious, but it wasn't easy.

"So this is the Garchomp that Lance won't stop talking about," Rebekah said as she pocketed her dex.

'So she knows Lance,' Cynthia thought. "Yes. Garchomp was my first Pokémon, back as a Gible," she told her opponent.

It was now Rebekah's turn for a trip down nostalgia lane.

* * *

(Flashback)

A nine-year-old Rebekah could be seen with a Great Ball in hand. Next to her was a boy with a Great Ball in his hand, but unlike Rebekah, his hair was a light brown and his eyes were blue-gray. The two had finally met after being pen pals in trainer school. His name was Kyle.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"Ready," she replied.

The two were behind rocks, watching two Pokemon. "Go!" they both said, tossing the specialty balls. A shiny Totodile was by Rebekah's side and the boy had a Sceptile belonging to his sister.

Both balls hit their targets. Rebekah aimed for a Bagon and Kyle had his eye on a Beldum. Both balls shook a few times before pinging, signifying the successful captures.

"Cool," Rebekah said in awe. Her family was on vacation. Both of their mothers appeared in the vicinity, but stopped and watched their children's exchange in conversation.

"One day, your Bagon will evolve into a Shelgon. Shelgon then becomes a big Salamence!" Kyle dramatically exclaimed.

Rebekah's eyes were sparkling as she sent out the Bagon. "Hi, Bagon," she said. Both trainers were nearing their tenth birthdays.

"The Pokemon I caught is a Beldum. Beldum can't attack much, but it can defend itself," he continued. "Beldum will evolve into a Metang, where it gets more power. Then Metang will become a big Metagross!" he said as he released his newly-caught Beldum.

Both trainers introduced themselves to their new Pokemon.

"I hate to see them part, Lauren," Kyle's mother said.

Lauren nodded. "Nor can I. It's even harder to say that they may not see each other again for a long time." The two mothers approached their kids.

"How about 'Drag' for a nickname?" Rebekah asked, but Kyle shook his head.

"Sounds kinda silly," he said, but Bagon appeared to be thinking about it.

Then, their mothers came and were about to make their children part. "I don't wanna forget you," Rebekah said to Kyle.

Kyle's mother had an idea as her son sadly nodded in agreement. "Children, why don't you swap Pokemon?" she asked.

Lauren clasped her hands together. "Bonne idée," she said.

Kyle tilted his head and looked to Rebekah. "She said it's a good idea," Rebekah translated. The four went into a Pokémon Center and Rebekah's Totodile shot a Water Gun in Kyle's face as a sign of affection. Kyle patted the Johto Water starter's head.

"Children," Nurse Joy addressed them. "Are you ready to trade?" Both nodded and walked to the machine. Nurse Joy flipped the switch.

"Take good care of Dra- Bagon," she said, realizing that she didn't get to make it official.

Kyle nodded. "I will. Take good care of Beldum," he said. Rebekah nodded before he enveloped her in an unexpected hug.

On the way home, both mothers surprised their children with promise rings that were too big for now, but to be worn later.

(End of flashback)

* * *

Rebekah still wore the ring on her left middle finger. Whether or not Kyle wore his was something she didn't know. Two years passed since they had seen each other, but only three months ago did they stop talking. "Rebekah?" Cynthia called across the field, even Logam was facing her.

"Huh?" Rebekah blinked.

"You closed your eyes and seemed to be in a trance," Bertha said.

"I'm good now," Rebekah assured. Logam trusted its trainer and turned around.

"Flamethrower!" Cynthia commanded.

"Iron Defense!" Rebekah countered. Lucian realized that his opponent was familiar with the strategy, for she used it herself.

To Cynthia's surprise, Metagross still stood. "Psyshock," Rebekah said.

"Draco Meteor!" Cynthia said.

"Metal Claw!" Rebekah shouted, but it didn't do good. Metagross was at half health and Garchomp still had full health.

"Dragon Claw," Cynthia said.

"Zen Headbutt," Rebekah countered. To their surprise (Rebekah and Cynthia's), Logam survived, but with a quarter of its health. Rebekah took in a sharp breath before grabbing her Great Ball. "Return," she said as she gritted her teeth. Hoku and Gem were out of the question.

Garchomp growled. She grabbed the ball and enlarged it. "It's time for you to meet my starter," Rebekah began. That was only half-true, but that was a different story for a different chapter. "Tidal, come out!" she exclaimed.

Garchomp was slightly dwarfed by Feraligatr, but that didn't deter her nor Cynthia. "Flamethrower and then go for Dragon Rush," Cynthia commanded. Rebekah watched and smiled.

"Douse yourself in Hydro Pump before meeting Garchomp with a Surf!" Rebekah exclaimed, pointing a finger. The attacks resulted in a steamy collision, causing Lucian to take off his glasses until the field cleared. The two were within striking distance of each other. Cynthia noticed the damage (only to the three-quarter mark) to Garchomp's health.

"Seems like Cynthia forgot what Flint did," Aaron said, irking the redhead.

Flint picked the younger Elite up before putting him in a headlock and giving him a noogie. "I didn't forget," he scolded. Lucian rolled his eyes and Bertha broke them up.

"Knock it off, boys," she said firmly. Both did and apologized.

"Either way, my Feraligatr has Torrent and I used that to my advantage," Rebekah replied calmly.

Cynthia nodded before commanding Garchomp. "Brick Break," she said.

Rebekah smirked. "Let's show them your Dragon Claw, Tidal," she said. Somehow, the two attacks seemed to negate and bounce off each other, sending both Pokémon back to their trainers.

"Giga Impact," Cynthia commanded coolly.

Rebekah folded her arms, as if upset. "Brace yourself and get ready for Superpower!" she hollered.

The other Elites gasped, even Bertha. The Ground specialist had never seen anything like this before. The tactic worked as some of Feraligatr's health went down and Garchomp's was slightly above half. Rebekah put her hands in her pockets.

'Game over,' Rebekah thought as Feraligatr looked at her. She took her hands out of her pockets and had her fist do a punching motion as she said, "Ice Punch, full power!"

"I see," Aaron murmured. "Rebekah knew that Garchomp would need to take a break after using a move like Giga Impact. Then that left Garchomp as a sitting Golduck."

Lucian nodded. "Quite the tactician," was all he said.

Instead of being frozen, Garchomp was just affected by the Ice-type move and fainted. Bertha called the match. Ordinarily, this would result in Rebekah being the new champion, but in this case, she had just defeated a champion. She ran up to Feraligatr and gave him a hug.

"Way to go, buddy," she said as he picked her up.

"Torr," Feraligatr said. Cynthia praised Garchomp and petted her before recalling the pseudo-legendary to her Poké Ball.

Feraligatr sensed the sudden movement and put his trainer down, surprisingly in front of Cynthia, midfield. She turned sideways before recalling her Feraligatr, congratulating him in the process

* * *

.

"That was some battle. You would've decimated Lance's team," Cynthia said, extending a hand. Rebekah smiled. "Thanks," she said, returning the shake.

Cynthia looked at her Elites. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with Rebekah alone," she said. "Follow me." Rebekah nodded and followed Cynthia down a corridor. There was a large room and in its center was a healing machine near a ...fountain?

"Wow," Rebekah said, slightly astonished. She then remembered what she had to do. "Cynthia, I have to tell you something."

Cynthia said, "Go on," casually and Rebekah spilled. The blonde wasn't mad at the Johtoan and Rebekah even told her what happened with the other Elites.

"Honestly, madam Champion," she said, trying to sound professional, "I had no idea that Lance would send me here."

Cynthia folded her arms. "So, even if you hadn't known, would you be here anyway?"

Rebekah wasn't sure if Cynthia was trying to play mind games, but stood up from her at the small table they were sitting at. "Madam Champion, I'd like to help you set up something. A defense force for the whole Sinnoh region, to be exact," she said.

The blonde pursed her lips before opening her mouth to speak.

* * *

 **AN:...and a cliffhanger! On the first chapter, too. We're evil, aren't we? I think I'll let Legal take over from here.**

 **Legal: thank you, Ange. So, this is how it's going to work: Ange and I are going to discuss what we want to happen in each chapter. I'm going to write chapters and send them to Ange. She can add or remove, so long as she tells me what and why, which she already knows is fine. With this prequel, we don't want it to be longer than "The Eevee Sisters" by any means. What we plan on accomplishing: how Sinnoh's defense system started. There probably won't be that many ships, if any. We're keeping it T rated and be on the lookout for chapter 2.**

 **-Ange and Legal**

 **PS (from both of us) Like it was mentioned above, we don't want to make this longer than TES, so expect chapters longer than this. A lot will happen, we know. Expect some fourth wall breakage and at least one update before the end of this year.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Legal here. This is not going to be a Pokémon/Assassin's Creed crossover; that's another story of mine that I'll be revising. Anyway, Rebekah's wrist-blades/hidden blades are based off the ones that Evie Frye wears in Syndicate. This chapter is a doozy.**

 **Ange: Sorry about it being a bit late. I was in a trip to Cali, and I got a bit behind. Totally NOT Legal's fault. Give me all the blame. XD**

 **Disclaimer: Legal only owns her OCs, but neither of us own Pokémon. Legal also came up with the place names mentioned in her flashbacks; certain ones and we're both sure that you'll figure it out.**

* * *

Rebekah stared at the blonde. _Great. She's thinking about it, but Arceus knows how long she'll take. Might as well answer her earlier question,_ Rebekah thought to herself.

"To answer your question, I came to Sinnoh looking for a challenge. I had stopped in Canalave City and then I met Byron. He told me that the league wasn't accepting challengers, but that didn't stop me. I've known Lance for quite some time now and I know that the elites and champion get bored," Rebekah began. Cynthia could only stare at her. She had guts, Cynthia had to give her that. Though Cynthia thought she had every right at this point.

"As far as setting up a base? I had no idea what Lance was up to. I knew he was up to something, but I couldn't figure out what. Basically, I just came for a new adventure and was thrown a curveball," she finished.

Cynthia nodded. She had also known Lance, but she didn't know about his mischievous side. Rebekah was by no means an amateur battler and from first glance, Cynthia thought that she was looking at a young athlete. Cynthia smiled. "I think I'll take you up on that offer. Your battling skills are up to that of an elite or even a champion level," she said. Rebekah grinned at the praise.

"Thanks. I know that there was no time limit, but my battle against Aaron was my shortest. Is there any way you can tell how long it took?" the black-haired woman asked casually.

Cynthia nodded and got up to get a laptop of her own. She logged in and did everything she needed to do. The numbers were surprising.

Aaron had the shortest battle, lasting 7 minutes and 30 seconds.

Bertha wasn't far behind with a surprising 8 minutes and 15 seconds.

Flint was the one who reached double digits with 11 minutes and 45 seconds.

It was Lucian's stat that really surprised her, 15 minutes even.

Few people made it past Bertha and to get past Flint or Lucian was a feat itself. Cynthia then took a deep breath and scrolled to her own battle. Not counting the break, the battle had raged on for 20 minutes and 5 seconds. Cynthia did the math and discovered that Rebekah had broken the most recent record of a lengthy 6 hours and 45 minute battle, a record Cynthia had broken herself. She did the math again.

"You really set the bar," she said.

Rebekah blinked blankly. "Thanks?" she said, not sure if it was a compliment.

Cynthia shook her head with an amused smile. "You set a new record for Sinnoh. It only took you 1 hour, 2 minutes and 35 seconds to beat us all," she informed. Rebekah whistled lowly at this as the blonde logged out of her laptop and closed it.

"That's incredible," Rebekah finally replied.

Cynthia nodded in agreement. "So, what's your story?" the blonde asked.

"Of my life?" Rebekah questioned.

"Your background," Cynthia replied.

Rebekah took a sharp breath before speaking. She went through her story with Cynthia, explaining everything that was necessary.

She was born in Whiterose City Johto to Pierre and Lauren D'Arciola along with Darian D'Arciola.

"We were the fifth and sixth of eight, but that changed," Rebekah said darkly. One year later, the D'Arciola family was complete with 12-year-old Daniel, 10-year-old twins Emma and Ryan, 9-year-old Connor, 2-year-old twins Rebekah and Darian and the newest addition of twins Ira and Amber. Rebekah's confession of how she obtained her late, shiny Feraligatr stunned Cynthia.

"I got Spark when I was 5 years old," Rebekah explained.

* * *

 _Pierre D'Arciola knew he didn't have much time left. He loved his children equally, but Rebekah was always within vision._

 _He had to explain to his young daughter that he would be taking a long nap and that his mother-in-law would be taking Rebekah to New Bark Town, a 20-minute drive from the Cherrygrove City hospital he was in. He gave Rebekah a note and a goodnight hug and kiss. He didn't want to let go and neither did Rebekah. Rebekah, Darian and the twins (Ira and Amber) went with their uncle (their father's brother) to visit the Elm lab._

 _That left 12-year-old Connor, 13-year-olds Emma and Ryan and 15-year-old Daniel with the remaining adults in the room, his wife and her parents. As soon as the car stopped, Rebekah immediately got out and went to find Professor Elm. She handed him the note and looked around as her uncle and siblings came in._

 _"Toto!" a Totodile babbled._

 _"Chik-a," a Chikorita chirped._

 _"Cynda," a Cyndaquil squeaked._

 _Rebekah noticed something about the starter trio. They were all shiny. Professor Elm went to speak with Rebekah in private. He asked Rebekah if she knew what her father meant about taking a long nap. He didn't have the heart to tell her, but he did take her in privately for a different reason: she was about to make a new friend._

 _They re-entered the room and Darian explained that a "mini Pikachu" appeared. They then learned that that was a Pichu. She and her siblings were granted permission to play with the starter trio. Otto, their uncle, and the professor watched in interest as the shiny Totodile and Chikorita took a liking to Rebekah and Amber, Pichu to Darian, and Cyndaquil to Ira._

 _"I think she likes the Totodile," Otto had told Elm._

 _The professor nodded. "I agree. Totodile is the only female in that group," he said. He asked Rebekah if she wanted to keep Totodile. Her face lit up at that._

 _As her siblings protested, Rebekah had found another part of the lab to go to with Totodile following. She knew she wanted to nickname her Pokémon when she got older, but now wasn't a bad time to start._

 _"Okay," Rebekah said to Totodile. "How about Torrent?" Totodile shook her head. "Aqua?" Rebekah suggested._

 _"Toto-totodile," was Totodile's reply. Rebekah nodded._

 _"True, that doesn't sound original. Maybe I should go by personality," she suggested. She didn't have to think for long. "How about Spark? You're kind of sparky and full of energy. Sparky would be better for a Pikachu, so I just thought of Spark. What do you think?"_

 _Totodile took a minute to process that before saying her name and spraying Rebekah with a Water Gun. Rebekah shook her head, her wet, tangled hair flying. The five-year-old grinned and picked up her new partner._

 _"Spark it is," she said._

* * *

"I see," Cynthia said, taking it all in. "Did you get any other Pokémon before your tenth birthday?"

"Yep," Rebekah said, popping the 'p' for fun. "Just Gem, Iwa and Logam. I wasn't allowed to battle with any of them, though."

Cynthia nodded. "Before you tell me how you got them, if your father had a Glaceon, why didn't you know what to do against mine?" she asked.

Rebekah sighed. "That'll come a bit later and I promise. As far as Gem goes, she's one of the two daughters of Grace and Louis," she said, referring to her parents' Eeveelutions by their names. "My siblings and I were each given an Eevee and each of us …well, most of us had a type preference, like our parents. I got Gem a few days later. How I got her is a separate story altogether."

Cynthia nodded in understanding. "Was Kabutops or Metagross next?"

Rebekah smiled. "It was Iwa and it's an interesting tale to say the least," she said.

* * *

 _Rebekah and her family were visiting Pewter City. There was an attack on the Pewter Museum of Science. Rebekah had been with Daniel and Lauren when they heard about the rampaging newly-brought-back-to-life fossil Pokémon. A Kabutops came to the trio. Both sent out Pokémon to defend themselves._

 _"Fe-on!" Daniel's Leafeon exclaimed._

 _Lauren had sent out two Pokémon. "Grace and Louis," she said quickly. The first to materialize was a Vaporeon named Grace. Louis, on the other hand was a Glaceon._

 _Rebekah, however could tell that Kabutops wasn't so much angry as it was confused. Seeing no imminent danger, she walked forward. Lauren froze and Daniel was quick to react. Grace was about to follow._

 _"Don't," he whispered to his mother's Pokémon. He had figured that there was no way he'd be able to stop his sister, but helping her out wouldn't hurt. "Rebekah," he called._

 _She turned to face her brother slightly. "Don't use it right away. Catch," he said and threw an object at her. She caught it and lightly clenched her fist. The texture felt familiar. She opened her hand and instead of a red top, there was a turquoise top with black material that seemed to be mimicking netting around it. Rebekah pocketed it before advancing towards the Kabutops._

 _"Hi there," Rebekah said to the angered Pokémon. The Kabutops stared at the child. It-no,_ she _wasn't that much shorter in height. That was at a distance that she looked so small. "I'm sorry someone made you angry. Not all humans are bad and now we live with Pokémon in peace."_

 _Why was the girl apologizing? She hadn't woken Kabutops, but the Shellfish Pokémon listened anyway, blinking in acknowledgement._

 _Rebekah (unheard by the Kabutops) snapped her fingers behind her back. Knowing what that meant, Grace and Louis cautiously approached the scene. Sensing their presence, Rebekah bent down and picked up Grace, who didn't object before petting her. Kabutops noticed that the Vaporeon was enjoying being touched by this girl. It had never seen the other two Pokémon before, but it had seen other Pokémon. "Grace belongs to my mom. I," Rebekah began before stopping. She recollected her thoughts before saying, "I think you're a cool Pokémon. Would you like to come with me?"_

 _This was unexpected. Kabutops looked at the Vaporeon who leaped from Rebekah's arms to be by the other Pokémon that had been called Louis. Kabutops used a scythe-like hand to touch the human. Rebekah's eyes only followed Kabutops' actions. Kabutops nodded after returning its hand to its body. Rebekah took the ball out, enlarged it and pointed it at Kabutops. Kabutops met her halfway by tapping on the button. The ball opened before sucking Kabutops in. Rebekah watched it close and shake a few times before pinging. She smiled at the ball in her hand._

 _Daniel smiled at his sister, proud. "Way to go, Bekah," he praised as she walked back towards them._

 _Rebekah grinned. "Thanks, Danny," she said. Lauren smiled at her children._

 _"That's a Net Ball. They're for catching Bug or Water-types," Lauren told her daughter._

 _"And Kabutops is Rock and Water, right Mommy?" she asked._

 _Daniel rustled her hair with an amused grin. "You're right about that, Rebekah," he said._

 _Just then, the group was approached by a man wearing a red shirt and brown pants. He also had tan skin and a blinding smile. "Everything alright?" he asked._

 _Daniel stepped forward. "Just fine, Mr. Flint," he said as he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder._

 _"Just fine." The man now known as Flint smiled at this, almost completely at ease._

 _"Good," was his reply._

 _Daniel and Lauren recalled their Pokémon. As they were walking back to the hotel, Rebekah had a good question for Daniel. "Danny, who was that?" she asked._

 _Daniel smiled. "That was Flint. Flint Harrison is the boss of the museum and is also Pewter's Gym Leader," he said as he watched Rebekah's eyes sparkle. She hadn't met a gym leader before, only having seen them on TV._

 _Once they returned, Daniel scanned the Net Ball with his Pokédex and told Rebekah about the Kabutops. Kabutops was only mentioned, but Darian and Ira weren't as excited as Amber was. After dinner, Rebekah asked if she could bring Kabutops out of the Net Ball. Lauren saw no harm in this. Rebekah and Amber went outside. Rebekah let out Spark and her Eevee and Amber also released her Eevee. Rebekah explained to her two Pokémon that she just got a new teammate._

 _"Ready?" she asked. She enlarged the Net Ball before tossing it in the air, letting Kabutops out._

 _"This is so cool," Amber said. "I can't believe it!"_

 _Both of their Pokémon were interacting well with Kabutops. 'Slash? No, that's not gonna be it,' she thought before going back inside and going onto the computer. She used a translating tool and typed a word. The word's translation was "sabrer" and Rebekah didn't like the sound of that either. She tried another language and yielded "hou" as a result._

 _"Rebekah?" Daniel asked. "What are you doing?"_

 _"Trying to find a nickname for Kabutops," she said. Daniel looked over his sister's shoulder. She had looked in Kalosian and Alolan before selecting a third language. Daniel watched his sister dart back outside. He looked at the computer and watched the scene unfold from inside._

 _"Well?" Amber asked._

 _Rebekah approached Kabutops. "Kabutops, would you like a nickname? It'll make you stand out," she said. Kabutops had thought names were for humans, but was proven wrong of that._

 _"Remember that Kabutops is a girl," Daniel called._

 _Rebekah nodded. "How about 'Iwa' for a nickname?" she asked. Kabutops thought it over before making a noise in what seemed to be happiness. Rebekah beamed._

 _Amber watched her sister in awe. She also noticed that Rebekah seemed to be zoning out. She poked her sister. "Bekah?" she said._

 _Rebekah blinked. "Huh? Oh. 'Iwa' it is then," she said to Kabutops with a smirk._

 _"Toto/Vui," Totodile and Rebekah's Eevee cheered happily._

 _Rebekah and Amber recalled their Pokémon to their balls after a while. The next day was when Rebekah made her announcement._

* * *

"I was 7 when I met Iwa," Rebekah said to Cynthia. At that, Cynthia thought of Byron and Roark. Of the two, Roark would be more excited, as Byron owns a Kabutops, but to Cynthia's knowledge, the Steel specialist doesn't battle with it.

"That was gutsy of you to do," Cynthia said, earning a puzzled look from Rebekah. "In a good way. Not many people would willingly go face-to-face with a Kabutops."

Rebekah grinned. "I used Iwa in my Kalos journey," she remembered. She wouldn't give the blonde that story. She wanted to keep things short, or as short as she could.

Lance had obtained his Dragonite-his oldest one-when it was just a baby Dratini from his grandfather.

Steven had obtained his Metagross as a Beldum and Cynthia didn't remember the exact details, despite hearing the story numerous times before.

Diantha obtained her Ralts as a Gardevoir when she was a child, but Cynthia didn't remember details on that, either. Just thinking of her fellow champion made her wonder how she was doing.

As for Alder? From what she had been told, courtesy of Steven, Alder's first Pokémon was a Larvesta that passed away due to illness. For her own region, she didn't know everyone's backstories in full depth.

Outside of her Elites, Cynthia only knew how Gardenia obtained her Torterra as a Turtwig. Aaron's starter had been his Beautifly as a Wurmple. The two met when Aaron was a small child. Aaron had even lost his temper with Wurmple, but Wurmple never left his trainer.

Bertha obtained her Hippowdon by getting lost as a teenager. She got caught in a sandstorm, but soon found the cause to be a curious Hippopotas. Flint was like Gardenia: he had obtained Infernape from Professor Rowan when he was young. As for Lucian, he obtained his Bronzong as a Bronzor in the Canalave library, of all places.

"Er, Cynthia?" Rebekah said, waving her hand in front of the Sinnoh champ's face. She smiled. "Heh. Sorry about that. You were spacing out and you actually turned pale for a little bit."

That must've been due to thinking about Alder's late starter. "I'm sorry about that. So how did you get your Metagross if you've only traveled through Kalos, Johto and Kanto?"

Rebekah frowned briefly. _Kyle,_ she thought of her childhood crush, and...boyfriend. "Well, although you can catch Beldum in Kalos, I caught mine in Hoenn. Sort of," she said, almost sheepishly.

* * *

 _Rebekah and her family (minus her grandparents, Daniel, Emma and Ryan) were visiting Hoenn. One day (their first day there), Lauren called Connor, surprising him. Connor liked to be on the move, but would slow down when it came to family. His grandfather was getting ill, but that wasn't why Lauren had called him. Lauren revealed that she and the kids would be spending only three days in Hoenn._

 _Connor saw no problem with that and agreed to meet them where they were staying, which was Mauville City. He had just won his third Hoenn badge and would be heading to Lavaridge next. That's where Wattson told him the next gym leader was._

 _Upon seeing him, Amber bolted towards the brunet, nearly tackling him down. Amber clearly missed him. After getting his youngest sister off of him, he was entrapped in a hug by Rebekah and Darian. Ira only waved to his brother. Lauren gave Connor a tight hug. "Mon fils," she said._

 **(Translation: mon fils means my son)**

 _"It's nice to see you all as well. Uh, mom," Connor said, panting a little. "Can't breathe."_

 _Lauren released her grip on her son. "Connor? Oh, there you are, son," an old man said as he approached the family. The man noticed Connor's relatives. "I didn't know your family would be here."_

 _"Yes sir," Connor replied. Lauren introduced herself and after that, Connor noticed his siblings had different reactions._

 _"I'm Rebekah and this is Ira," she said, pointing to her younger brother._

 _"Hi," he said, shyly._

 _"I'm Amber," Amber introduced, practically bouncing._

 _Darian was just staring at the man in awe, his mouth slightly agape. "Darian, don't stare, it's rude," Lauren scolded._

 _"It's alright. Darian, huh? That's a nice name for you. I didn't properly introduce myself, did I?" he asked._

 _"No," Ira said quietly, a hand hooked on his hip. His eyes were filled with apprehensive curiosity._

 _Wattson smiled at them. "My name is Wattson Virta and I'm Mauville City's gym leader. Connor is a fine battler and our battle was electrifying to say the least!" Wattson introduced with a laugh._

 _At "electrifying", things clicked for Darian. The dark brunet with green eyes looked up into Wattson's black ones. "Does that mean you specialize in Electric-types?" Darian asked._

 _"Indeed I do. I was just going to go to the Pokémon Center. Would you like to come with me?" he asked the boy._

 _Darian's jaw dropped before he spun to face his mother. "Can I? Can I? Can I? S'il vous plait?" he asked, clasping his hands together._

 _Lauren looked at Wattson. "Okay. I don't see any harm in that," she said._

 _"Connor. Do you goth new Pokémon?" Ira asked. Ira wasn't really a boy of few words, he just hated his lisp. Connor smiled at his youngest brother before ruffling his hair._

 _"Sure do, bud. Wanna meet em?" he asked. Ira nodded. "Okay then. Come on out! Combusken, Eevee, Taillow and Sableye!"_

 _"Busk. Combusken," Combusken introduced._

 _"Vui" Eevee said, glad to see his trainer's siblings._

 _"Low!" Taillow said from Connor's head._

 _"Eye. Sableye!" Sableye introduced._

 _Lauren was stunned that Connor hadn't evolved his Eevee yet, but he was probably deciding on what he wanted to evolve Eevee into. Lauren let out Grace so she could have a reunion with her son as well. "Where's Louis?" Connor asked._

 _"With Daniel somewhere," Amber said trying to get a better look at Taillow._

 _Connor sighed. "Taillow, it's okay," he said. Taillow trusted the boy and flew in front of Amber._  
 _"We're back!" Darian called, grinning from ear to ear. "Mom, Mr. Wattson is so cool! He's got a Voltorb, a Magnemite, a Magneton, and a Manectric!" he said in just about one breath._

 _"Manectric was no pushover, Dar," Connor said to his brother. He decided to let his brother cool down and not to tell him about Wattson's robotic Raikou._

 _"Uh-huh. So these are your new Pokémon, huh?" Darian said. Connor nodded._

 _"Darian asked me for a tour of my gym. I thought I'd ask you first. I have grandkids his age and am a father myself," Wattson said to Lauren. Hearing that he was in fact a grandparent put her mind at ease._

 _"I think he'd like that," Lauren said. Darian beamed at this._

 _"Thanks, mom!" he exclaimed, before making a beeline to the door, which he soon realized was locked._

 _Connor shook his head. "I can tell that Darian's energy seems to have only increased since we last saw each other," he said._

 _"Just meet us at the Pokémon Center when you finish with your challengers today," Lauren said._

 _The group's size quickly reduced as Ira wanted to stay with Connor and Lauren had no problems with that. "Girl's day!" Rebekah and Amber said at the same time before giving each other a high five._

 _Lauren giggled at her two daughters interacting. "So, where do you two want to go?"_

 _"Shopping/the pool," they simultaneously answered. Although not each other's twin, they still had the habit of speaking at the same time._

 _"We can do both. I'll flip a coin later. Why don't we find some place to eat first?" Lauren suggested._

 _"Okay, with me mom," they both said. Amber looked at Rebekah. "Let's go," Amber began._

 _"Race ya! I'm gonna win!" Rebekah finished as the two followed the signs that pointed towards a nice restaurant. They also had that horrible habit, finishing each other's sentences, which came with knowing what the other was thinking._

 _Lauren sighed before she slowly walked, knowing that the girls would be stopped before they reached the café. 'How did I end up with 3 sets of twins?' she thought to herself. 'Come to think of it, I'll call Emma and Ryan later. I wonder how they're doing.'_

 _She was right: the girls were stopped by a sign of some sort._

 _"Mama, look at this," Amber said pointing to a sign that was flashing words ahead of them. The first sign she looked at said YOU ARE NOW IN MAUVILLE'S OUTDOOR MALL and the second one flashed the words in a message._

 _"Free manicures? Does that involve boys?" Rebekah asked._

 _"No and it's something Emma would be interested in," Lauren replied._

 _The text finally came across the screen: Want a Bright Smile? Don't Want to Go to the Dentist and Wait? Head north and make a right on Tesla Ave. It is the third block from here. You are currently on Ohm Ln. We hope you enjoy your time here!_

 _Lauren mused this over. This was how she would spend her time with Connor, but not today. "Is that what you wanted me to see?" the girls nodded._

 _"We want you to pamper yourself," Amber said._

 _Her daughters were sweet. That was very generous of them to think of her. Maybe she'd do that today after getting her girls to rest. Despite being out of the age for nap time, both needed sleep because of how late they had stayed up the night before. She couldn't blame them, but rather wonder how their respective twin brothers weren't the same. She wouldn't press it, though. She saw a sign that said that the restaurant allowed smaller Pokémon to be out of their balls._

 _They had a nice lunch and both girls had their Eevee out and Rebekah had Spark out, but kept her on the far side of the booth. Their mother had Grace out. She noticed in the reflection of the window that there was a boy that seemed to be around her and Darian's age. She could see that he had his head down and overheard what the men were saying. She could tell that he was burying his head in his arms. What caught her eye was a small spot that seemed to look like a lightning strike. Was it a scar?_

 _"So, let's talk property," the first man said._

 _"Sure thing," the second man said, having a distinguishable Johto accent._

 _'I don't blame him. That's boring,' Rebekah thought. He looked kind of cute. Wait, what? Falling for a stranger? That sort of thing would never happen in real life!_

 _"We'll go to the stores first and then go to the pool at the hotel and see what time it is from there. Okay?" she said once they finished. They nodded. Both were eager to shop in a new place for new clothes. Once they returned to the hotel on Hertz Dr, however, their plans for the pool had been shot. They caught the manager who was very apologetic._

 _"The pool's been closed due to broken filters," he had said. Around 5 minutes later, Connor came to the hotel holding a sleeping Ira._

 _Connor was watching his sisters tire out. He looked at his mom. "Little guy got tired, so I thought I'd bring him here," Connor said. By the end of their first day in Hoenn, Rebekah had feelings she didn't quite understand for a boy she hardly knew._

 _Their second day was much better. There was an indoor beach with a wave pool for effect! Naturally, the kids headed there. This was the first time that Connor had to watch his 4 younger siblings by himself. Ira and Amber headed out to the sand section. It was artificial sand, but it would make due for the youngest twins. Darian found the area where there was a giant bucket of water that would tip over at any moment! It was more of a water park, but no one was complaining. Though there was artificial sand, the younger twins enjoyed it nonetheless._

 _"Connor, I wanna go on the slide over there!" Rebekah exclaimed. She ran ahead of her brother in the ankle-deep water. Then it was knee-deep. She hadn't turned to swim yet as she stopped in her tracks. She saw a boy with another boy that was probably Connor's age and a girl that was probably Daniel's age. They were playing with a beach ball and she noticed that the boy who caught it had a familiar look. …No way. It was him?_

 _The boy that was Connor's age called him out. Rebekah began to walk away, but as she heard Connor and the other boy talking she heard him say, "It looks like your little sis likes my little bro, Connor."_

 _Rebekah knew Connor's reply. "I hate to break it to you, Julien, but I think romance is the last thing on my sister's mind. I'll catch you later maybe. I've gotta watch my siblings. It's easier when you have them in the same area," he said. He was allowed to have his Taillow out and Taillow was supervising Ira and Amber._

 _"Connor!" Rebekah called, turning slightly. "Darian's already in line for the slide!" Connor exchanged a goodbye to Julien and ran to find the energetic boy. There were slides that were long or curved, but none were enclosed like water park slides could be. Some had riders using inner tubes, but other than that, it looked like the two of them would be safe to go out of his vision for a little while. They were too short for the adjacent slide that curved in three different places before having a quick slide down. Connor told the lifeguard that he was watching his siblings. The lifeguard was named Thomas._

 _"Don't worry. This isn't like Dorsal Fin Drop at the Mau-Tal Water Park. It's just a bit bigger than your typical playground slide. Riding on the stomach is fine, but is highly encouraged for older and/or stronger riders," Thomas assured Connor. Connor told his siblings to pay attention and that he'd meet them at the bottom. They watched him go down the bigger slide and they were jealous. Regardless, they enjoyed the slide they went on and both of them proved their strength by squeezing a metal bar that had a release on it. If they made it go to the yellow mark, that proved that they had enough arm strength to ride on their stomachs._

 _Connor was waiting at the bottom, arms folded and noticeably wearing black swim trunks. He noticed that the slide had a forked path and his siblings could emerge at the same time. He agreed to meet his mother, Amber and Ira at the wave pool with Darian and Rebekah. Connor had one Poké Ball carefully secured in his pocket through a chain that had an accessory that would make one click on. His breath hitched. The place wasn't that busy so he carefully reached into his pocket where the chain was and took the shrunken ball off of it. He enlarged it and caught the ball in one hand and the Pokémon inside in the other. He put the ball back and got soaked by his siblings._

 _"Toto!" Spark exclaimed from his arms. Rebekah lit up at her companion being with her. At the wave pool, the waves weren't turned on and other small Water-types were out with their trainers. There was a clock that would reset to 5 minutes every time so that those in the pool would know when the waves were being turned on._

 _Rebekah, Spark, Amber and Grace waited with anticipation. Amber only planned to swim further ahead so she could jump over the 3' waves. Rebekah looked to Spark. "Ready?" she whispered. Her Totodile mimicked her fierce expression. "Go!" she exclaimed and like that, the two disappeared into the depths of the water. Darian had stayed by Amber and swam over some of the weaker currents. Lauren watched her children having a blast. She could even see Connor jumping a few waves with Ira. Wait a minute. She saw Connor, Darian, Ira and Amber._

 _"Rebekah," she said aloud. Connor heard his mother and told Taillow to scout for his sister. Taillow complied and was stunned to see the young child swimming further. She was nearing the other end!_

 _Taillow quickly returned to Connor's side and chirped furiously once it landed on Connor's arm. "We have to wait. Rebekah is going to try and swim the wave pool. She only has a limited amount of time before the waves go off. She's at the deep end with Spark," Connor said. He held his mother's hand in assurance. What was his sister thinking?!_

 _At the end of the day, Rebekah got scolded and Darian came to her defense._

 _"Mom, Bekah's the best swimmer of the four of us. Spark was with her and she would've gotten our attention if anything went wrong," were his words. Lauren shook her head; she couldn't undo genetics and it seemed that Rebekah inherited some of her father's recklessness._

 _She embraced her daughter as they were packing up. "Tu m'as inquiété! Essayez de ne pas faire cela pendant votre voyage," she had said._

 _Rebekah's hunter green eyes met her mother's. "It's not like you're letting me go alone. Je t'aime maman," she added._

 **(Translation for the first bit: You had me worried! Try not to do that on your journey. Translation for Rebekah's comment: I love you, Mom)**

 _Lauren hated to admit that her 9-year-old daughter had a point, but she did so anyway. On their last day in Hoenn, they were eating breakfast at a café. Wattson himself was inside and Watt who was his referee and grandson was with him. Connor wasn't surprised that Darian asked to be with him again. "I'm taking on one of my fellow Electric-type specialists. The match will be a true shocker!" Wattson said and not only did Darian want to go, Amber was also interested. Wattson had only told Lauren that Lt. Surge was his opponent. Having met the Vermilion gym leader herself, Lauren was fine with this._

 _Ira asked Connor what his plans were for that day and his face lit up once he heard Connor mention the Game Corner. Connor revealed that there was an arcade for kids who weren't trainers yet. Connor was not of legal age for gambling for he wasn't near 18. Connor thought about it and within mere seconds, he and Ira were heading to the Mauville Game Corner. The Game Corner was on Ampere Blvd. As was the Mauville Gym and the souvenir shop, which was where Lauren and Rebekah were going. It was also inside the Poké Mart._

 _"It's our last day, Bekah. Why don't you see what kind of souvenirs you and Darian would want? I have something in mind for Ira and Amber," Lauren said._

 _"Okay," Rebekah said before going down an aisle. Something on her far right caught her atttention: it was a wall of colors. Upon closer range, it was a wall of TMs of all types! Mostly Electric-type TMs were present, but that made sense. She noticed a few with red tabs that read To Kanto. Rebekah reached for one and she saw something from the corner of her eye. She jumped on instinct and with ease, grabbed it. As she landed, she heard a click which was followed by a snap. She repeated the feat and with her right hand, she grabbed the other TM that had her attention. She landed without being hit by either dart._

 _Meanwhile, her assailant was watching her. As he was looking at her, he nearly dropped his gun. He cleared his throat to get her attention. Their eyes met but neither spoke. Her hunter green eyes met his sapphire-gray ones._

She's so… pretty. Wait, what? Where did that come from? _He shifted his gaze and noticed that she had black hair. She also had on a white T-shirt with a Psychic gem pictured on it and a pair of navy blue shorts. She also had on white tennis shoes, but her thoughts were different than his._

Great. He's almost as bad as Darian when he sees a new Electric-type Pokémon, _she thought, noting that he had on a charcoal gray shirt with three Pokémon she had never seen before. He also had on khaki shorts and a pair of black tennis shoes with green circles on them. Whether she was pretty or not, that didn't stop him from thinking his current thoughts._

 _She held both TMs in one hand and began to walk away. "Hey!" he called before racing up to her and grabbing one arm. Rebekah was quick in the prevention of dropping either TM with the sudden movement._

 _"Mom!" he said, dragging her by the wrist. On the other end of the store, Lauren was in line to check out as she noticed the dirty blonde in front of her turn around. The dirty blonde noticed that her son had a girl his age by the wrist. "I stopped her from stealing!" he said._

 _So that was his problem. Oh how badly she wanted to punch him. Instead, she escaped his hold with a mere flick of her own wrist. "I wasn't stealing," she said firmly. "I was just trying to get a better look at these TMs." She really wanted to call him a name that she had heard Emma use once, but opted not to because she remembered the scolding Emma got from using said name._

 _"Kyle Edmund Anderson, is this what you've been up to?" she asked. She noticed Lauren staring at her and said, "I'm sorry about my son." Kyle's mother adopted a stern expression after saying that._

 _"Kyle, come here. Now," she said._

So that's his name, _Rebekah thought. Now she had to explain to her mother what was going on. I wanted to ask the clerk about these two TMs. So I took them off the wall so I could do just that." Lauren took a quick glance at each one: one was Thunder and the other was Thunder Wave. Lauren nodded, believing her daughter._

 _"You can ask, but you have to wait Rebekah," Lauren said. There was a man in front of Kyle's mother._

 _Kyle was also with his mother._ That's a pretty name. There it is again! _'What was he thinking? All girls (except his mom of course) had cooties. Or so he liked to believe. The line moved along and the Anderson duo finished checking out, but stayed in the mart._

 _The cashier explained that the TMs were supposed to be sent to Kanto, but no mart would take them. That meant Rebekah and Darian would have an advantage early on in their journeys if they wanted to. Lauren paid for the TMs and she also had a poster for Amber of the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn Water starters. For Ira, she had a picture of the Fire-types found in Hoenn. Lauren was surprised to see the duo standing there._

 _"I think we need to do a proper introduction," Kyle's mother said. Lauren merely nodded. "I'm Gloria Anderson and this usually well-behaved boy is my son, Kyle," she introduced as her gray eyes met Lauren's hunter green ones._

Well-behaved my foot, _Rebekah thought huffily._

 _"It's nice to meet you. I'm Lauren D'Arciola and this is my daughter Rebekah," Lauren introduced. The two mothers shook hands while their children had different thoughts._

 _"I'm sorry for accusing you," Kyle said._

 _"I accept your apology. Mom, are we going to call and see what's going on at home?" Rebekah asked._

 _Before Lauren could reply, Lauren beat her to the punch. "That's interesting. I also have a call to make," she said. With that, it was agreed that the four would go to the Pokémon Center. Rebekah and Darian finished their summer program at the Earl Dervish Academy and during that time, they exchanged letters with other trainers-to-be. Rebekah was trying to think of who she wrote to. It had been fun talking to him._

 _Little did Rebekah know that Kyle also went to a trainer's school, but the one in Rustboro. Roxanne had been in her first year of teaching. Kyle remembered sending letters._

 _Upon entering the Center, Lauren and Gloria each gave their child a Great Ball. Rebekah noticed that Kyle was wearing a belt. A trainer belt, to be exact. Gloria told the kids to go outside, but gave Kyle a specific instruction. "Why don't you show Rebekah where you've been exploring, okay?" Kyle nodded. Once outside, Kyle made sure she would be okay with this._

 _"Wanna explore Route 111?" Kyle asked. Rebekah thought for a minute. It sounded better than any of her 'expeditions' with Darian._

 _"Sure," she said. "Lead the way."_

 _Kyle decided to break the tension._ _"What's your middle name, if you have one?" he asked. Rebekah glared at him._

 _"None of your business," she said hotly. This would be interesting._

 _"Okay. Well uh, where are you from?" he asked._

 _"I'm from Whiterose City, Johto. You?" she replied. He couldn't pin why that city sounded familiar._

 _"Talan City. It's closer to Sea Mauville. It's actually connected to Mauville, though," he replied. "What's your dad's name?" Rebekah paled._

 _She told him that her dad died over 4 years ago and that his name was Pierre. Rebekah asked if he was an only child; she was remembering one of the early letters she sent to her pen pal. Her pen pal was the fifth of seven children. "Nope," Kyle said popping the p. "Kieran, Julien, Aimee and Juliet are the oldest, but not in that order." He paused. "Then it's me, Ryder and Callie. What's your story?"_

 _Rebekah effortlessly rattled off her siblings' names and after finishing, her pupils widened. Yesterday, Connor talked to a boy named Julien. Then …could it be? "Where were you yesterday and the day before?" Rebekah asked with a demanding tone._

 _"Uh, the day before yesterday, I was at the café on Ohm Ln with my dad and one of his business partners. Then yesterday, I was at the Splash Center on Coulomb Ave with Aimee and Julien and," his eyes met hers._

 _"You're Connor's sister!" he said, realizing he was conversing with his brother's current rival._

 _Rebekah rolled her eyes, but noticed the mark on his arm. "I asked because I was there at both places. Not only are you the boy with the lightning strike on his arm, you're the pen pal I had over the summer," she said. He raised a brow. "You signed a letter saying that you lived in Talan City, Hoenn."_

 _Now Kyle realized why Whiterose City sounded so familiar. "So, we meet at last. Probably under the most unique circumstances," Kyle said as the two neared the route._

 _"Wow," Rebekah said. "That sounded almost omnious. Kyle nodded with a faint smile._

 _"It's usually sandy because of a sandstorm, but lately it hasn't been. There are two Pokémon that I've seen that aren't usually found over on Route 111. I'll tell ya on the way," he said._

 _The two ventured off together and Kyle told her first that the Pokémon on his shirt were Sceptile, Blaziken and Swampert. Well, Rebekah knew what Connor's Combusken would evolve into. Kyle told her that one Pokémon was Steel and Psychic and it was called Beldum. The other one was a pure Dragon type and that it was called Bagon. He described the two that he discovered and was thankful that their evolved forms weren't nearby. Their final forms were Hoenn's pseudo-legendaries. "So Bagon and Beldum are to you what Goomy and Larvitar are to Kalosians and Johtoans," she said. Kyle raised a brow._

 _"Goomy?" he repeated._

 _Rebekah nodded. Goomy evolved into Sliggoo and then into Goodra under special circumstances. She then explained that Larvitar evolved into Pupitar and from there, a Pupitar would evolve into a Tyranitar. "Tyranitar aren't easy to train. Plus they have an Ability called Sand Stream. Sand Stream summons up a sandstorm," Rebekah explained. She had to know what Pokémon was in the ball on his belt._

 _Kyle caught her staring. "It's not mine, but I'm not sure if I want to start with its pre-evolution, Treecko," he said, throwing it into the air. It was a real Sceptile and Rebekah was in awe. She didn't want to tell Kyle that she had three Pokémon, but she thought she'd show him her starter._

 _"My sister Amber and I prefer Water-types and I've gotten my starter," she said, tossing her ball into the air. Kyle was stunned-and a tad jealous-that she had a shiny starter. She told him the story._

 _"Darian is going to start with the Pichu and both of us hope that the Cyndaquil and Chikorita get good trainers," Rebekah said, once she had finished._

 _Kyle had another region to consider: Johto. He'd talk to his mother about it later, but for now, he, Aimee's Sceptile, Rebekah and Spark were navigating their way through the route._

 _Along the way, he pointed to a natural formation of rocks. "I've been observing them from behind these rocks," Kyle explained. Once the duo neared the formation, he looked at her._

 _"Your mom gave you a Great Ball, right?" she nodded. "Well, I want to catch Beldum. Then you can try and catch Bagon. I don't think we'll need to attack em, but just in case," he looked at Sceptile then at Totodile. Rebekah nodded._

 _The two got closer to the rocks and stood behind one rock each. Both enlarged their Great Balls._

 _"Ready?" he asked._

 _"Ready," she replied._

 _"Go!" they simultaneously shouted. Rebekah tossed her Great Ball with her right hand and Kyle used his left hand._

 _"You're a lefty?" Rebekah asked, slightly stunned. Before Kyle could reply, she beat him to it. "That's neat. So's Daniel."_

 _"Dile," Spark said, directing the attention of her trainer to the balls she and Kyle had thrown. Both were rocking back and forth before they pinged, signifying successful captures._

 _"Awesome," Rebekah whispered._

 _"C'mon," Kyle said, going to a smaller rock. He placed his right hand on the side of the rock before jumping over it and Rebekah did the same thing._

 _Lauren and Gloria had been watching them since Sceptile had been let out._

 _"When's your birthday?" Kyle asked. "I hope that's not weird."_

 _It was the end of September._

 _"Nah, it's okay. October 30. You?" she asked._

 _Kyle counted on his fingers. "November 4. You're turning 10 before me," he said. "Anyway, one day, your Bagon will evolve into a Shelgon. Then it'll get big and learn to fly by becoming a Salamence," Kyle dramatically exclaimed._

 _"Wow," Rebekah said. "What about Beldum?" she asked._

 _Kyle calmed down a bit. "Beldum can only use Take Down, but you only have to wait until it reaches level 20 before you get a Metang. Then Metang evolves into a Metagross! Plus, the Beldum line are genderless Pokémon."_

 _Unheard by their children who had let out their respective caught Pokémon, Gloria and Lauren had a conversation of their own. "I'm glad we went into that jewelry shop. Too bad they didn't have any rings for kids," Gloria said._

 _Lauren was fine. "I think Rebekah will understand," was her reply._

 _"I hate to see them part Lauren," Gloria said._

 _Lauren nodded. "As do I, but they might not see each other for a long time."_

 _Beldum and Bagon had been talking in their tongues to Sceptile and Totodile, respectively before speaking to the humans that caught them._

 _"Hi Bagon. I'm Rebekah and I'll be your trainer. She probably told you, but if she didn't, this is my partner Spark," Rebekah introduced._

She nicknames her Pokémon. Nothing wrong with that. Mr. Wallace does too, _Kyle thought, thinking of the Sootopolis Gym Leader and his idol._

 _"Hey Beldum. My name is Kyle," he introduced._

 _"Dumm," Beldum droned tonelessly._

 _"Kids," Gloria called. "It's time to go. Kyle, we have to go home and Lauren has to get her other children."_

 _Both kids frowned. Along the way back to where their mothers were standing, Rebekah was thinking of a nickname for Bagon. "How about Drago?" she offered._

 _"Pfft," Kyle said. "Sounds kinda silly," he said as Beldum floated beside him. Bagon, however paid the boy no mind as it appeared to be thinking about that._

 _Gloria had an idea as soon as Sceptile, Kyle and Beldum reached her. She whispered in her son's ear. His eyes widened and he looked at Beldum before returning it._

 _Lauren whispered into her daughter's ear something else, but Rebekah looked up at her mother. Rebekah returned Bagon and let Spark stay out. The four were about to walk to the center._

 _"It's a bit of a long shot, but how about Rebekah and Kyle exchange Pokémon? Kyle would give Beldum to Rebekah and Rebekah would give Bagon to Kyle," Gloria suggested._

 _Lauren clasped her hands together. "Bonne idée," she said._

 _Kyle looked to Rebekah for a translation. "She said she thinks it's a good idea. I guess I forgot to mention that the Kalosians speak another language. They say Lumiose City is the city of love," Rebekah said. Kyle wasn't sure about that, but he definitely felt feelings for the raven-haired girl._

 _When the group reached the Pokémon Center, the adults explained to Nurse Joy what would happen. Totodile sprayed Kyle with a Water Gun. "Hey," he said._

 _Rebekah smiled. "You really do, don't you?" she said to Spark who nodded. She then looked to Kyle. "She only does that to people she likes and she must like you."_ Then again, so do I, _Rebekah thought before banishing the thought. What was wrong with her?_

 _"Kids, are you ready?" Nurse Joy asked them. They nodded and walked up to one slot on either side of the machine._

 _Rebekah placed her Great Ball in front of her and a blue ring surrounded it, scanning it and the same thing happened when Kyle did the same. She looked at Kyle as the screen was processing the information. "Take good care of Dra- er, I mean Bagon," she said, almost calling Bagon the nickname._

 _Kyle nodded. "I will. Take good care of Beldum," he said. A screen in front of him appeared after Beldum's scan was complete. In a bullet list style, it read BELDUM, IRON BALL, LEVEL 5, OT KYLE ANDERSON. Then there was a box with a question: trade? Kyle tapped the touch screen and it read pending._

 _Rebekah read the information in front of her. BAGON, ROCK HEAD, LEVEL 5, OT REBEKAH D'ARCIOLA. She also touched the box and the two balls were then vacuumed up._

 _There was a bright flash of light and both trainers-to-be turned away. Once it died down, the screen had one large box that read: TRADE SUCCESSFUL._

 _"I don't want you to leave," Kyle said, embracing Rebekah. She didn't break away from the gesture, even though she was most likely blushing._

 _"I have to, though," she said honestly. With that and wishing each other good luck, Kyle and his family left the center. Rebekah insisted on nicknaming Beldum before they left._

 _"Dumm," Beldum droned at Rebekah. She couldn't understand why she couldn't understand the Psychic-type. She sighed. "I've nicknamed my other friends. You already know Spark, but in addition to her, there's an Eevee named Gem and a Kabutops named Iwa. Would you like a nickname?" she asked. Beldum nodded and Rebekah snapped her fingers. "I got it. How about 'Logam' for a nickname? It means metal in another language," she suggested._

 _Beldum rammed itself into Rebekah, not hurting the 9-year-old who took that as a yes._

 _"Rebekah?" Lauren said to her daughter. She looked at her mother who opened a box to reveal a sterling silver ring. It was inscribed with the following phrase: I'll see you again someday. Rebekah tried it on, but found it didn't fit. "Save it for when you're older."_

* * *

"Kyle and I dated for a year, but not once did we ever ask about our traded Pokémon," Rebekah said. "So, before I brief you on my journeys, what do you say? Will you let me help you form a base?"

Rebekah had such an interesting tale and Cynthia had almost forgotten. She had to think. She'd never hear the end of it from Steven, but he and Lance would be coming in two weeks. She'd need all the help she can get. She smiled at Rebekah and nodded. "We'll figure something out. Rebekah, you've got a deal," she said and the two shook on it.

Rebekah smiled. "Well, I can quickly tell you about my journey before we set up," she said. "I'm glad that you're giving my idea a chance. I mean, truly, I wasn't expecting such open mindedness."

Cynthia nodded. "However, it's gotten pretty long as is."

* * *

 **A/N: …and Rebekah has broken the fourth wall!**

 **Legal: Rebekah's journeys (through Kalos, Johto and the Battle Frontier) will be briefly recanted the next chapter. Ange and I agreed to split Rebekah's past into two parts. I do intend on having how Gem got her nickname up before the end of the year. No promises.**

 **Ange and Legal: Merry Christmas from the both of us. Have a Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa if you celebrate it. …and if it's the 26th on your side of the world, Happy Boxing Day! It's a little late...sorry.**

 **We'll see you in the new year, dear readers. Reviewing would be an awesome present.**

 **-Ange and Legal**

 **PS from Legal: I made up Mau-Tal Water Park and I own Talan City. Mau is from the first three letters of Mauville and Tal is from the first three letters of Talan. Brownie points go to any reader who gets the references for the street names. Oh and as far as the strength bar goes (the release, mostly), ever pump gas into your car? Pretty much the same mechanic. Don't have a car? Google what a gas pump looks like. I do not claim ownership to Dorsal Fin Drop, a ride owned by Carowinds. I went to Carowinds and went on Dorsal Fin Drop this summer. That's also where I got the wave pool idea from and I did the same thing that Rebekah did, except I didn't get to the other end.**


End file.
